Ancient Prisoners Carved Graffiti Into the Floors of a Roman-Era Prison

New research suggests that the remains of a 1,600-year-old complex in Corinth, Greece, may have once been a Roman-era prison.

Matthew Larsen, an archaeologist at the University of Copenhagen, reached this conclusion after studying the site, analyzing graffiti carved into the floor, and reexamining records from an excavation that occurred in 1901. He recently published his findings in the journal Hesperia.

If the site in Corinth is a prison, it is quite unusual. Most prisons from this era have been lost to time, and archaeological excavations rarely reveal evidence of such facilities.

“Prisons must have existed in almost every Roman town, at least those that had a forum, with many cities having had more than one prison,” writes Larsen. “Yet the archaeological remains of prisons have proven exceedingly hard to identify. There is scant evidence of what a Roman prison would have looked like, or where it would have been located.”

The biggest clue was the ancient graffiti found at the site. Many of the inscriptions are dark, pleading and vengeful. Based on their content, Larsen has concluded that they were written by ancient prisoners cursing their misfortune and captors.

“May the fortune of those who suffer in this lawless place prevail,” one message reads. “Lord, do not show mercy on the one who threw us in here.”

Another bluntly states, “Lord, make them die an awful death.”

In addition to the inscriptions, olpai (a type of jug) and lamps were found in the prison’s east aisle. These artifacts suggest “the ongoing human need for drink and light in the space,” Larsen writes in the study. A small bathroom was also found in one of the chambers, which “may have been used by guards stationed down in the dark underneath the basilica.”

Larsen thinks the prisoners may have lived in dismal conditions. In the winter, the complex would have grown “incredibly cold,” he tells Live Science’s Owen Jarus.

“You get a sense that they’re in a very dark space, that they cannot be given a hearing,” he adds.

By analyzing the cracks in the floor, Larsen was also able to show that the prisoners etched their messages after the slabs had been installed at this particular site. This distinction matters because it helps rule out a scenario in which the inscriptions were carved elsewhere before the slabs were reused at the site in Corinth.

The writings provide a glimpse into the lives of men who were once trapped at the ancient site. Despite the prisoners’ grim circumstances, not all of the inscriptions are quite so dark. As Popular Mechanics’ Tim Newcomb writes, “Some prisoners were apparently making the best of a bad situation.”

A few of the messages reveal the shapes of game boards, which the men may have played to pass the time. One may even refer to a lover: “The fortune of the beautiful girls who love the unmarried men prevails.”

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.