Historical Graffiti

Connected Sites: 59

Pre-20th century inscriptions, figure drawings, etc. that have been scratched into walls and which can be identified and seen today.

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Connected Sites

  • Rome
    Rome
    Holy See, Italy
    Inscribed: 1980
    4.57
    661
    13
    Catacombs: Renaissance-era graffiti and Early Christian funeral graffiti
    See www.forbes.com
  • Yuso and Suso Monasteries
    Inscribed: 1997
    2.98
    121
    5
    Suso: "the walls of the atrium are covered with graffiti written by pilgrims and monks in the 11th and 12th Centuries".
    See irishpilgrimonthecaminodesantiago.blogspot.com
  • Megalithic Temples of Malta
    Inscribed: 1980
    3.55
    310
    12
    model of a temple scratched on a wall in the temple of Hagar Qim
    See www.academia.edu
  • Mantua and Sabbioneta
    Inscribed: 2008
    3.18
    193
    7
    At Pallazo Té, in the Sala dei Giganti, graffiti from visitors (and imperial troops who used the palace as barracks) as early as the 17th century can be seen
  • Pont du Gard
    Inscribed: 1985
    3.69
    303
    12
    19th century graffiti (f.e. some Jean in 1830) is scratched into the main aquaduct at the level of the footbridge
  • Meroe
    Meroe
    Sudan
    Inscribed: 2011
    4.04
    33
    4
    Great Enclosure at Musawwarat es-Sufra: visitors have left their mark, including the French adventurer Frederic Cailliaud in 1821 (Sudan Bradt Guide). As well from the Meroitc period and the younger post-Meroitic, Christian and Islamic periods
    See musawwaratgraffiti.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de
  • Necropolis of Bet She'arim
    Inscribed: 2015
    2.86
    61
    4
    Incised and painted inscriptions in Hebrew, Aramaic, Palmyrene, and Greek: "Geographical references in inscriptions on the walls of the catacombs reveal that the necropolis was used by people from the town of Beit She'arim, from elsewhere in Galilee, and even from cities as far away as Palmyra and Tyre." (wiki)
  • Baalbek
    Baalbek
    Lebanon
    Inscribed: 1984
    3.99
    101
    5
    Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek, tourists and local visitors — left in both Arabic and Latin script
    See hyperallergic.com
  • Edinburgh
    Edinburgh
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1995
    4.00
    471
    17
    Edinburgh Castle, by 18th century Prisoners of War
    See blog.edinburghcastle.scot
  • Gebel Barkal
    Inscribed: 2003
    3.13
    29
    4
    William Arnold Bromfield, Letters from Egypt, London 1856, p. 122 (Gebel Berkel): "We found very few memorials of European travellers upon these pyramids, so we held ourselves excused in gratifying the national predilection for this way of acquiring immortality, by carving our names enclosed in an oval or cartouche, and each name again separately on different pyramids. Mine. I cut at full length, and in large roman letters, with month and year, inside one of the porches, the roof of which was badly painted with lotus wreaths, just over the name of PRINCE PUCKLER MUSKAU, who has left no memorial of the date of his visit."
    See www.egypt-sudan-graffiti.be
  • Wartburg Castle
    Inscribed: 1999
    3.16
    213
    11
    Graffiti from the Middle Ages on a door in Wartburg Castle. Also graffiti (a signature in Cyrillic) left by Peter the Great in the room where Luther translated the bible.
    See www.nytimes.com
  • Olympia
    Olympia
    Greece
    Inscribed: 1989
    3.60
    215
    9
    At the tunnel walls before entering the track, made by athletes
    See books.google.nl
  • Acropolis
    Inscribed: 1987
    4.27
    488
    14
    Parthenon: early Christian graffiti
    See www.archaeology.wiki
  • Venice and its Lagoon
    Inscribed: 1987
    4.52
    610
    19
    Piraeus Lion, one of four lion statues on display at the Venetian Arsenal, with two lengthy runic inscriptions into its shoulders and flanks: "at some point in the 11th century travelling Vikings had carved the runes as a form of graffiti"
    See www.historytoday.com
  • Naumburg Cathedral
    Inscribed: 2018
    2.80
    158
    7
    From the 17th century
    See www.ipernity.com
  • Strasbourg
    Inscribed: 1988
    3.52
    393
    10
    Strasbourg Cathedral's Antique Graffiti
    See www.atlasobscura.com
  • Vézère Valley
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.54
    113
    12
    At the Font de Gaume cave, some prehistoric paintings are covered with carvings from early visitors
  • Palenque
    Palenque
    Mexico
    Inscribed: 1987
    4.11
    145
    7
    Some go back to the early 19th century
    See artsandculture.google.com
  • Quirigua
    Quirigua
    Guatemala
    Inscribed: 1981
    3.22
    62
    7
    Stele A has dates (among them 1881) and names
    See artsandculture.google.com
  • Amphitheater of El Jem
    Inscribed: 1979
    3.48
    155
    9
    Its walls are full of graffiti, most fairly recent but also from the 19th century such as "Laporie 1896" and "P. Leschi 1885".
    See www.flickr.com
  • Champagne
    Inscribed: 2015
    3.17
    219
    9
    In the Moët & Chandon cellars, one can see many graffiti (characters, drawings, names, dates, quotes, etc.) left by wine cellar workers. (Nomination file, p. 151) Other cellars also have graffiti, e.g. Veuve Clicquot, Maison Taittinger, Maison Charles Heidsieck (Nomination file, Tome III, p. 58, 61, 64)
  • Stonehenge and Avebury
    Inscribed: 1986
    3.74
    429
    18
    From as early as the 16th century (see link).
    See www.stonehenge-tours.com
  • Palmyra
    Palmyra
    Syria
    Inscribed: 1980
    3.98
    65
    3
    Graffiti in Arabic, including the phrase “This is an inscription that I wrote with my own hand. My hand will wear out but the inscription will remain.”
    See iqsaweb.wordpress.com
  • Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago
    Inscribed: 1994
    4.00
    258
    17
    French 19th Century graffiti in Hang Dau Go
  • Westminster
    Westminster
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1987
    3.61
    631
    15
    Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey: "Most of the graffiti on the back part of the Chair is the result of Westminster schoolboys and visitors carving their names in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the tourists carved "P. Abbott slept in this chair 5-6 July 1800" on the seat."
    See www.westminster-abbey.org
  • Provins
    Provins
    France
    Inscribed: 2001
    2.90
    187
    13
    Underground galleries
    See travelguide.michelin.com
  • Persepolis
    Inscribed: 1979
    4.37
    102
    3
    Over the years, many travelers left their mark on the ruins in the form of graffiti, including ... Henry Morton Stanley. The foreign graffiti are concentrated in two particular spots, namely Xerxes’ Gate of All Nations and the Palace of Darius.
    See www.iranicaonline.org
  • Ephesus
    Ephesus
    Turkiye
    Inscribed: 2015
    4.10
    267
    6
    Ancient Roman inscription, presumably directions to a nearby brothel
    See archaicwonder.tumblr.com
  • Caves of Maresha and Bet Guvrin
    Inscribed: 2014
    3.25
    60
    9
    Beth Guvrin - ships graffiti in Maresha
    See www.academia.edu
  • Brú na Bóinne
    Inscribed: 1993
    3.63
    206
    11
    "There is evidence to show that Newgrange was plundered by Danish raiders about the year 860. Graffiti in the tomb dates back to the 7th century, a subject of great interest to historians." At Knowth as well. Also: Newgrange was re-discovered in 1699, visitors scratched their names.
  • Al-Faw
    Al-Faw
    Saudi Arabia
    Inscribed: 2024
    1.29
    4
    3
    "(...) the ninety-eight recorded rock inscriptions carry Ancient South Arabian inscriptions, Thamudic graffiti, and Arabic inscriptions." (AB Ev)
  • Aphrodisias
    Inscribed: 2017
    3.63
    102
    4
    "graffiti were primarily made by artists and workers who visited the theater, the stadium, and the markets with their implements"
    See www.ias.edu
  • Villa Adriana (Tivoli)
    Inscribed: 1999
    3.39
    240
    8
    By 18th century visitors, such as "the legendary architect/etcher Piranesi scribbled Piranesi 1741 into a grotto at Hadrian's Villa with a red crayon"
  • Verona
    Verona
    Italy
    Inscribed: 2000
    3.61
    368
    12
    At Basilica di San Zeno
    See www.ikonographia.com
  • Tower of London
    Tower of London
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1988
    3.40
    639
    20
    Graffiti by prisoners
    See www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk
  • Timgad
    Timgad
    Algeria
    Inscribed: 1982
    3.37
    38
    4
    A Latin inscription, with a typographical error, chiseled into the stone steps surrounding the Forum square reads: “To hunt, bathe, play [games or gambling?], to laugh. That is life!".
  • Tikal National Park
    Inscribed: 1979
    4.46
    168
    6
    By Mayan occupants and 19th century explorers
    See www.penn.museum
  • San Antonio Missions
    San Antonio Missions
    United States of America
    Inscribed: 2015
    2.99
    166
    7
    In the Alamo (from the 19th century)
  • Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
    Inscribed: 1998
    2.82
    301
    14
    The hospital of Pons is known for its Romanesque porch that spans the road. On each side, the walls are decorated with low arcades, in front of which are placed stone benches that allowed pilgrims to rest in shelter. This remark explains the presence on the facing of very numerous graffiti: horseshoes, crosses, coats of arms. Graffiti can also be found in other places, such as the dormitory for the pilgrims or the sick. (Nomination file)
    See commons.wikimedia.org
  • Pyramids (Memphis)
    Inscribed: 1979
    4.51
    314
    12
    Great Pyramid: by the labourers who constructed the Pyramids, by visiting Romans
    See anthropology.msu.edu
  • Prague
    Prague
    Czechia
    Inscribed: 1992
    4.28
    585
    16
    Ball Game Hall, Old Town Town Hall
  • Pompei
    Pompei
    Italy
    Inscribed: 1997
    4.38
    451
    8
    Over 11,000 graffiti samples have been uncovered in the excavations of Pompeii, which "often offer rich insight into the lives of the city’s residents".
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Old City of Jerusalem
    Inscribed: 1981
    4.36
    274
    12
    Crusader graffiti in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
  • Nubian Monuments
    Inscribed: 1979
    4.21
    204
    12
    "Graffiti inscribed on the southern pair by Greek mercenaries serving Egypt in the 6th century BCE have provided important evidence of the early history of the Greek alphabet". Also Victorian graffiti.
  • Neolithic Orkney
    Neolithic Orkney
    United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1999
    3.79
    105
    11
    Maes Howe: "The 30 inscriptions found in Maeshowe, make it one of the largest, and most famous, collections of runes known in Europe"
    See www.orkneyjar.com
  • Maulbronn Monastery
    Inscribed: 1993
    3.13
    201
    11
    Graffiti carved into the stone from seminary students over the past centuries
    See www.norbertwoehnl.com
  • Mammoth Cave
    Mammoth Cave
    United States of America
    Inscribed: 1981
    3.25
    123
    5
    Civil War-era signatures
    See www.npca.org
  • Longobards in Italy
    Inscribed: 2011
    2.82
    227
    14
    Monte Sant'Angelo: In the "crypts A, B and C, a vast number of objects, fragments and frescoes were discovered, but most important were the wall writings and graffiti, dating back to the time when these places were in use." "Evidence for the presence of pilgrims visiting the sanctuary between the end of the sixth and the mid-ninth century is provided through roughly two hundred inscriptions, carvings and scratched sketches executed on the surfaces inside the cave." (Nomination file, p. 217, 220)
  • Loire Valley
    Inscribed: 2000
    4.09
    291
    10
    At Chambord: names and dates, boats. Includes inscriptions made by the poet Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) and the writer Victor Hugo (1802-1885).
    See www.flickr.com
  • Istanbul
    Istanbul
    Turkiye
    Inscribed: 1985
    4.37
    484
    12
    Runic inscriptions in Hagia Sophia, made by members of the Varangian Guard in Constantinople in the Viking Age.
    See en.wikipedia.org
  • Frontiers of the Roman Empire
    Frontiers of the Roman Empire
    Germany, United Kingdom
    Inscribed: 1987
    2.81
    346
    20
    Hadrian's Wall, Written Rock of Gelt: Roman quarry inscriptions
    See www.bbc.com
  • Florence
    Inscribed: 1982
    4.45
    587
    15
    Michelangelo’s Graffiti: face of a man, claimed to be created by the sculptor Michelangelo,
    See www.atlasobscura.com
  • Elephanta Caves
    Inscribed: 1987
    3.05
    115
    7
    Across the breast of the Shiva as Mahayogi (Cave 1) is written W. Kidson 1802
    See www.flickr.com
  • Dilmun Burial Mounds
    Inscribed: 2019
    2.11
    77
    6
    Royal Mound 11: Visitors have left several graffiti inside the burial chamber, some dating back to more than 100 years. These graffiti became a layer of the mound´s history." (Nomination file, p. 117)
  • City of Luxembourg
    Inscribed: 1994
    3.17
    440
    12
    At the Casemates
    See commons.wikimedia.org
  • Australian Convict Sites
    Inscribed: 2010
    2.66
    180
    13
    Great North Road - Graffiti from 1830s. "35 pieces, including many initials, arrow, ship, the word MAD DOG followed by 'spell it backwards'"
    See books.google.nl
  • Assisi
    Assisi
    Italy
    Inscribed: 2000
    3.76
    249
    8
    "From the crypt of the original cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore you descend to an underground environment that corresponds to a Roman house dating back to the first century. AD. (...) On the walls are engraved numerous graffiti with poetic verses, one of which names a Musae domus; hence the attribution to the muse of poetry and the house belonging to the poet Properzio. But the lack of archaeological and historical evidence is inadequate with the certainty to endorse this hypothesis."
    See www.visit-assisi.it
  • Ancient Thebes
    Inscribed: 1979
    4.38
    256
    11
    The tomb of Ramesses VI in the Egyptian Valley of the Kings contains inscriptions from visitors up to 2,000 years ago, including a text saying "I can not read the hieroglyphs!"
    See scienceinpoland.pap.pl
  • Sigiriya
    Sigiriya
    Sri Lanka
    Inscribed: 1982
    3.72
    180
    8
    Ancient tourists visiting the 5th-century citadel at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka scribbled over 1800 individual graffiti there between the 6th and 18th centuries. Etched on the surface of the Mirror Wall, they contain pieces of prose, poetry, and commentary. (wiki)
    See en.wikipedia.org