Skip Navigation

‘I woz here!’ Why do tourists keep defacing the Colosseum?

www.theguardian.com ‘I woz here!’ Why do tourists keep defacing the Colosseum?

Visitors have been caught carving their names into one of the world’s most famous buildings. Is this the best way to achieve immortality? And where do toilets fit in?

8
8 comments
  • Honestly I don't get why this is so surprising, humans have been drawing graffiti for thousands of years. There's plenty of Ancient Roman graffiti to attest to that.

    While yes, we should discourage it where possible, we also need to acknowledge that it's just as big a part of human nature, and culture, as the colosseum itself.

    6
    • Graffiti is not acceptable in a modern world. There is a cost to cleaning that crap up. If you want to be recorded in history write a book.

      9
    • Completely true. Where would we be without Greek graffiti saying, “I visited the pyramids and they were mid”?

      4
    • A quick walk through Rome will reveal an incredible amount of modern graffiti on buildings of relatively no importance as well so this shouldn't be surprising.

      I think people graffiting buildings of such historical importance are really disrespectful, dumb people but at the same time I agree we have to acknowledge there is just something about being human and wanting to draw a big dick on a wall.

      1
  • Just keeping up tradition. The ancient Romans also graffitied the colosseum.

    1
You've viewed 8 comments.