Political Campaign Message Found in Pompeii

NAPLES, ITALY—ArtNet News reports that a first-century A.D. political inscription has been uncovered in the Regio IX area of Pompeii. The Latin text, written on an inside wall of a shrine dedicated to the guardian spirits of the household, urges voters to elect Aulus Rustius Verus to office. “I beseech you to make Aulus Restius a true aedile, worthy of the state,” it reads in part. An aedile had the power to maintain public buildings and infrastructure, regulate public festivals, and enforce public order. The structure where the inscription was found housed a bakery, and may have been the home of a friend of Verus or one of his former slaves who may have organized a campaign dinner for the candidate. Pompeii’s political inscriptions are usually found outside, lining the streets, the researchers added. To read more about election slogans and other painted inscriptions from Pompeii, go to "Digging Deeper into Pompeii's Past: Communication."