| Description |
1 online resource (265 pages) |
| Contents |
Cover page; Halftitle page; Series page; Title page; Copyright page; Contents; Illustrations; Notes on Contributors; Preface; Introduction; Modern echoes of ancient practices; Impetus for a book on graffiti throughout history; What graffiti are: an (im)possible defi nition; Common paths and threads of discussion: graffiti as social and cultural practices; From landscapes to the written page; Section One Graffiti and the Landscape; Introduction: Graffiti and the Landscape; 1 The Scribes' Cave: Graffiti and the Production of Social Space in Ancient Egypt circa 1500 bc |
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Ancient Egypt: an epigraphic cultureThe graffiti within the Scribes' Cave2; Scribal identity; The graphic performance; A social place: worldly and divine ties; Conclusion; 2 Christian Graffiti in Egypt: Case Studieson the Theban Mountain; Christian remains in the Theban area; Social competition in the Theban area; The journey of a Coptic priest in the Theban Mountain; Cryptography and hidden texts; Conclusions; 3 Graffiti or Monument? Inscription of Place at Anatolian Rock Reliefs; Introduction: monuments and graffiti; Rock monuments of Anatolia; Rock monuments in the Land of Mira |
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Suratkaya in the Land of Mira: a sacred mountain and its inscriptionsConclusions; 4 Tweets from Antiquity: Literacy, Graffiti, and Their Uses in the Towns and Deserts of Ancient Arabia; Graffiti and the uses of literacy; Graffiti in a non-literate society; Graffiti clusters in the desert; Graffiti in a literate society: Nabataean; Graffiti clusters among the settled peoples; Conclusions; 5 Gezi Graffiti: Shout-outs to Resistance and Rebellion in Contemporary Turkey; Introduction; A 'peppered' lingo: youths and soccer fans; Çapulcus, whirling dervishes, and media lies; Nazi allegories |
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'The Struggle Goes On'Section Two Graffiti and the Wall; Introduction: Graffiti and the Wall; 6 Gladiators, Greetings and Poetry: Graffiti in First Century Pompeii; The cultural practice of writing graffiti; Gladiators; Greetings; Poetry; Conclusions; 7 A New Look at Maya Graffiti from Tikal; Context; Style and subject; Ruler and Protector theme; Form and meaning; Classic Maya satire; 8 Visitors' Inscriptions in the Memphite Pyramid Complexes in Ancient Egypt (c .1543-1292 bc)1; Memphite graffiti makers: staff, visitors and others; Where Memphite graffiti are written |
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Motives for writing on the wall in the west of MemphisMemphite graffiti as a material practice; Conclusions; 9 Carving Lines and Shaping Monuments: Mortuary Graffiti and Jews in the Ancient Mediterranean; Graffiti and Jews in the ancient Mediterranean; Definitions and method; Case studies from Beit Shearim; Assessment; Section Three Graffiti and the Written Page; Introduction: Graffiti and the Written Page; 10 Verses on Walls in Medieval China; A dying woman; Rage at dynastic defeat; A philosopher shares his self-doubt; Women caught in the Mongol invasion; 11 Graffiti and the Medieval Margin |
| Summary |
For most people the mention of graffiti conjures up notions of subversion, defacement, and underground culture. Yet, the term was coined by classical archaeologists excavating Pompeii in the 19th century and has been embraced by modern street culture: graffiti have been left on natural sites and public monuments for tens of thousands of years. They mark a position in time, a relation to space, and a territorial claim. They are also material displays of individual identity and social interaction. As an effective, socially accepted medium of self-definition, ancient graffiti may be compared to the modern use of social networks. This book shows that graffiti, a very ancient practice long hidden behind modern disapproval and street culture, have been integral to literacy and self-expression throughout history. Graffiti bear witness to social events and religious practices that are difficult to track in normative and official discourses. This book addresses graffiti practices, in cultures ranging from ancient China and Egypt through early modern Europe to modern Turkey, in illustrated short essays by specialists. It proposes a holistic approach to graffiti as a cultural practice that plays a key role in crucial aspects of human experience and how they can be understood |
| Notes |
The living book: medieval manuscript culture |
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Print version record |
| Subject |
Graffiti -- History -- To 1500
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Inscriptions, Ancient.
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Graffiti
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Inscriptions, Ancient
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| Genre/Form |
History
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| Author |
Harmansah, Ömür
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Salvador, Chiara
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Frood, Elizabeth
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| ISBN |
9781474288835 |
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1474288839 |
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