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Pompeii's hidden graffiti revealed: Ancient drawings depicting gladiators were made by children as young as five after watching the Roman fighters 2,000 years ago, experts say
Children as young as five watched bloody gladiator battles in Ancient Rome, newly found graffiti shows.
Archeologists have uncovered etchings made in charcoal on the wall of a courtyard at Pompeii, the Italian city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
The primitive sketches – thought to be around 2,000 years old – depict men with spears and shields fighting wild animals and each other.
Such gory scenes were typical in Pompeii's amphitheatre and often included fights to the death.
It's thought that the young witnesses who drew the battles on the walls were left emotionally scarred by what they saw.
Graffiti uncovered on the walls of the ancient Italian city were made by children as young as five, archeologists say
The figures have arms and legs that stem directly from the head - a style of drawing characteristic of today's children too, according to the experts. There's also small hands (left)- likely outlines of the children's own hands in charcoal
Pompeii's latest discoveries were made during excavations at Insula dei Casti Amanti, a complex of buildings to the west of the city.
The fact that the drawings were made quite close to the floor and are fairly primitive in style suggest they were made by children.
'We came to the conclusion that in all likelihood the drawings of the gladiators and hunters were made on the basis of a direct vision and not from pictorial models,' said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.
'Probably one or more of the children who played in this courtyard, among the kitchens, latrine and flowerbeds for growing vegetables, had witnessed fights in the amphitheatre.
'[They came] into contact with an extreme form of spectacularised violence, which could also include executions of criminals and slaves.'
Pompeii's latest discoveries were made during excavations at Insula dei Casti Amanti, a complex of buildings to the west of the city
We know that Insula dei Casti Amanti was close to Pompeii's amphitheatre (pictured) which was buried by the eruption but still well-preserved
The figures have arms and legs that stem directly from the head – a style of drawing characteristic of today's children too.
'Evidently it is an anthropological constant that is independent of artistic and cultural fashions,' said Mr Zuchtriegel.
The expert added that the graphic violence likely had an effect on the mental wellbeing and development of children at Pompeii.
'The drawings show us the impact of this on the imagination of a young boy or girl, subject to the same developmental stages that are still found today,' he said.
In some scenes, the men appear to be fighting four-legged animals, thought to be wild boar.
Also depicted are two figures playing with a ball, a boxing scene (which portrays one of the two boxers lying on the ground) and small hands, which were likely outlines of the children's own hands in charcoal.
We know that Insula dei Casti Amanti was close to Pompeii's amphitheatre, known for hosting gladiatorial battles before being buried by the Mount Vesuvius eruption.
The insula or 'island' of buildings is now open to the public, who can walk above the remains thanks to a newly constructed system of suspended walkways.
Archeologists also found the skeletons of two bodies – a man and a woman – who were likely seeking shelter in a corridor at the time of the eruption.
The public can view Insula of the Casti Amanti, where the discovery took place, from above as of this week
Archeologists also found the skeletons of two bodies - a man and a woman - who were likely seeking shelter in a corridor at the time of the eruption
Pompeii was famously destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but excavations are still yielding ancient discoveries.
It's been estimated that as much as third of the lost city has still to be cleared of volcanic debris.
Last month a stunning artwork was revealed depicting Helen of Troy, a beautiful woman in Greek mythology, meeting Paris, prince of Troy, for the first time.
According to legend, the resulting elopement between the two sparked the Trojan War of the 12th century BC.
And earlier in the year, experts revealed a stunning artwork of Phrixus and Helle, two twins from Greek mythology, at a building called the House of Leda.
The twins are depicted travelling across the sea on a magical golden-woolled ram while fleeing from their evil stepmother.
How Pompeii and Herculaneum were wiped off the map by devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago
What happened?
Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year AD 79, burying the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ashes and rock fragments, and the city of Herculaneum under a mudflow.
Mount Vesuvius, on the west coast of Italy, is the only active volcano in continental Europe and is thought to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
Every single resident died instantly when the southern Italian town was hit by a 500°C pyroclastic hot surge.
Pyroclastic flows are a dense collection of hot gas and volcanic materials that flow down the side of an erupting volcano at high speed.
They are more dangerous than lava because they travel faster, at speeds of around 450mph (700 km/h), and at temperatures of 1,000°C.
An administrator and poet called Pliny the younger watched the disaster unfold from a distance.
Letters describing what he saw were found in the 16th century.
His writing suggests that the eruption caught the residents of Pompeii unaware.
Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year AD 79, burying the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ashes and rock fragments, and the city of Herculaneum under a mudflow
He said that a column of smoke 'like an umbrella pine' rose from the volcano and made the towns around it as black as night.
People ran for their lives with torches, screaming and some wept as rain of ash and pumice fell for several hours.
While the eruption lasted for around 24 hours, the first pyroclastic surges began at midnight, causing the volcano's column to collapse.
An avalanche of hot ash, rock and poisonous gas rushed down the side of the volcano at 124mph (199kph), burying victims and remnants of everyday life.
Hundreds of refugees sheltering in the vaulted arcades at the seaside in Herculaneum, clutching their jewelry and money, were killed instantly.
The Orto dei fuggiaschi (The garden of the Fugitives) shows the 13 bodies of victims who were buried by the ashes as they attempted to flee Pompeii during the 79 AD eruption of the Vesuvius volcano
As people fled Pompeii or hid in their homes, their bodies were covered by blankets of the surge.
While Pliny did not estimate how many people died, the event was said to be 'exceptional' and the number of deaths is thought to exceed 10,000.
What have they found?
This event ended the life of the cities but at the same time preserved them until rediscovery by archaeologists nearly 1700 years later.
The excavation of Pompeii, the industrial hub of the region and Herculaneum, a small beach resort, has given unparalleled insight into Roman life.
Archaeologists are continually uncovering more from the ash-covered city.
In May archaeologists uncovered an alleyway of grand houses, with balconies left mostly intact and still in their original hues.
A plaster cast of a dog, from the House of Orpheus, Pompeii, AD 79. Around 30,000 people are believed to have died in the chaos, with bodies still being discovered to this day
Some of the balconies even had amphorae - the conical-shaped terra cotta vases that were used to hold wine and oil in ancient Roman times.
The discovery has been hailed as a 'complete novelty' - and the Italian Culture Ministry hopes they can be restored and opened to the public.
Upper stores have seldom been found among the ruins of the ancient town, which was destroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius volcano and buried under up to six meters of ash and volcanic rubble.
Around 30,000 people are believed to have died in the chaos, with bodies still being discovered to this day.