Having just presented the noble deeds of Horatius in the previous posts, I thought I would show you the polar opposite!
We learn quite a bit about
ordinary Romans from what they wrote on the walls; there have been previous
posts showing graffiti from Pompeii. Here's one scrawled on a wall of the
Basilica that isn't quite so heroic.
LVCILLA EX CORPORE LVCRUM
FACIEBAT (CIL
4.1948)
Whoever wrote that knew his
3rd declension – ex corpore – and he knew his imperfect tenses –
faciēbat.
Lucilla: a diminutive form
of lūx, lūcis [3/f]: light i.e. “Little Light” equates to a name not unlike
Lucille or Lucy, and she used to make a profit (lucrum) from
her body! So, we all know how she made a living, but I like the fact that
the gentleman states that she used to do it. Maybe Lucilla was
no longer the shining little light that she once was.
There are cultured examples
too. Posted is the first line of Virgil's Aeneid, and so perhaps somebody
wanted to show off knowledge of Latin literature - well, at least one line - by
scribbling on a wall.
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