Graffiti is writing or drawing done on a wall etc by by a member of the public. The original graffiti was designs and inscriptions engraved with a style upon the walls of ancient towns and buildings, particularly of Rome and Pompeii. Those in Pompeii are in Latin, Greek, and Oscan, showing that the ancient language of Campania was still extant among a portion of the populace. The inscriptions are mostly amatory or humorous, sometimes malicious or obscene. In Rome graffiti occur frequently in the catacombs. Many of these are by Christians, some by Pagans in ridicule of Christianity. During the 20th century graffiti in the western world became much less humourous and political, and degraded generally into simple signatures identifying the graffitist - a style known among its advocates as 'tagging'. Research Graffiti
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