These doodles offer a window into how young Romans thought and what they cared about. Researchers estimate the artists were about 5 to 7 years old based on the size of a hand traced in charcoal by one of the children.
Archaeologists found the graffiti on the walls of a ruined house called the Casa del Cenacolo Colonnato. The drawings show that gladiator fights were a common reality for children. The kids also drew hunters chasing wild boar and scenes of people playing ball games, ILFScience reports.
A report in Pompeii’s Excavations e-Journal says the wall images indicate children attended amphitheaters, watched bloody battles, and were familiar with the brutality of adult life.
“The drawings from Casa del Cenacolo Colonnato are direct evidence of the meeting between the child’s soul—so impressionable and full of imagination—and the brutal entertainments of the time, such as gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, and the executions of criminals and slaves,” the report said.
Pompeii, in southern Italy, was buried under six meters of pyroclastic material during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which killed about 2,000 residents. The ruins were first discovered in the 16th century, with organized excavations beginning in 1748. Today, the site is the archaeological park of Pompeii, the second most visited archaeological site in the world.
The report cites studies that have found a link between early exposure to violent images and films and higher levels of aggression in adolescence and adulthood. Instead of thrillers and action movies, the children of Pompeii witnessed the real horrors of life.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the archaeological park of Pompeii, says the drawings of gladiators and hunters likely depict real experiences. He and psychologists from the University of Naples Federico II reached that conclusion, The Guardian reports.
Excavators also found the remains of a man and a woman in a building called the “House of Artists.” The villa earned its name because it was filled with pots of paint and bowls for mixing them.
Commenting on the discovery, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s Minister of Culture, called Pompeii an “extraordinary treasure trove.” The ancient city continues to reveal new secrets.
