Abstract

A graffito (CIL 4.4533) from a Pompeian carpentry workshop (VI.14.37) describes a knight as born Roman between a beet and a cabbage. This paper explores the graffito's possible meanings by reviewing the ways these vegetables have been featured in discourse regarding agriculture, dining, parties, and metaphors or characters and posits that they were initially featured in a positive light. In later discussions, however, these humble vegetables not only signified poverty, but also the deterioration of traditional Roman values. The paper then considers the graffito's significance in the context of a carpentry workshop in a town under the Roman Empire.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.