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98-476: The Rice Mill Lofts building is a 108,000-square-foot structure originally built in 1892, and was once home to the largest rice mill in North America. Entrepreneur Sean Cummings purchased the building in 1993, but did not begin renovations until March 2010. In the meantime, the building was heavily vandalized. When the $ 20 million renovation began, Cummings decided to keep much of the original graffiti , including

196-589: A Pythagorean or Stoic puzzle, a Gnostic or Orphic or Italian pagan amulet , a cryptic Mithraic or Semitic numerology charm, or that it was simply a device for working out wind directions. The square has long associations with magical powers throughout its history (and even up to the 19th century in North and South America), including a perceived ability to extinguish fires, particularly in Germany. The square appears in early and late medieval medical textbooks such as

294-719: A Pythagorean - Stoic puzzle creation. In 2018, Megan O'Donnell argued that the square is less of a pure word puzzle but more a piece of Latin Roman graffito that should be read figuratively as a wheel (i.e. the ROTAS), and that the textual-visual interplay had parallels with other forms of graffito found in Pompeii, some of which later became adopted as charms. Some prominent academics, including British-Canadian ancient Roman scholar Duncan Fishwick, American ancient legal historian David Daube , and British ancient historian Mary Beard , consider

392-499: A peace symbol , a heart , and a penguin ( Linux mascot ), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." IBM paid Chicago and San Francisco collectively US$ 120,000 for punitive damages and clean-up costs. In 2005, a similar ad campaign was launched by Sony and executed by its advertising agency in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami, to market its handheld PSP gaming system. In this campaign , taking notice of

490-536: A Roma-Amor square and found 2,264 better versions, of which he considered the Sator square to be the best. The square's origin as a word puzzle solved the problem of AREPO (a word that appears nowhere else in classical writing), as being a necessary component to complete the palindrome. Fishwick still considered this interpretation as unproven and clarified that the apparent discovery of the Roma-Amor palindrome written beside

588-561: A case where a person from Lyon recovered from insanity after eating three crusts of bread inscribed with the square. After the meal, the person then recited five paternosters for the five wounds of Christ, linking to the Christian imagery believed encoded into the square. Scholars have found medieval Sator-based charms, remedies, and cures, for a diverse range of applications from childbirth, to toothaches, to love potions, to ways of warding off evil spells, and even to determine whether someone

686-585: A column in the Palestra Grande  [ it ] (the gymnasium) near the Amphitheatre of Pompeii ( CIL IV 8623 ). This discovery led to Della Corte to reexamine a fragment of a square, again also in ROTAS-form, that he had made in 1925 at the house of Publius Paquius Proculus, also at Pompeii ( CIL IV 8123 ). The square at the house of Publius Paquius Proculus was dated between AD 50 and AD 79 (based on

784-447: A conclusion. A 1987 computer analysis by William Baines derived a number of "pseudo-Christian formulae" from the square but Baines concluded it proved nothing. There is considerable contemporary academic support for the theory that the square originated as a Roman-era word puzzle. Italian historian Arsenio Frugoni found it written in the margin of the Carme delle scolte modenesi beside

882-603: A form of public art . According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles graffiti is an effective tool of social emancipation , or for the achievement of a political goal. In times of conflict graffiti has offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically, or racially divided communities, and has been an effective tool for establishing dialog. The Berlin Wall

980-419: A form of vandalism. And many graffitists choose to protect their identities and remain anonymous to hinder prosecution. With the commercialization of graffiti (and hip hop in general), in most cases, even with legally painted "graffiti" art, graffitists tend to choose anonymity. This may be attributed to various reasons or a combination of reasons. Graffiti still remains the one of four hip hop elements that

1078-425: A graffiti-like gesture "the avant-garde won't give up". People who appreciate graffiti often believe that it should be on display for everyone in public spaces, not hidden away in a museum or a gallery. Art should color the streets, not the inside of some building. Graffiti is a form of art that cannot be owned or bought. It does not last forever, it is temporary, yet one of a kind. It is a form of self promotion for

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1176-450: A human with the head of a donkey on a cross with the text "Alexamenos worships [his] god." The only known source of the Safaitic language, an ancient form of Arabic , is from graffiti: inscriptions scratched on to the surface of rocks and boulders in the predominantly basalt desert of southern Syria , eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia . Safaitic dates from the first century BC to

1274-449: A large mural on the exterior building with the words "You are Beautiful," which is rumored to have been created by British street artist Banksy . The remodeled building was designed and developed by Sean Cummings and Anthony "T.J." Iarocci, in association with New Orleans architect Wayne Troyer and Los Angeles interior designer L.M. Pagano, who has designed homes and yacht interiors for Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp . Famous residents of

1372-538: A large number of graffiti influences in Southeast Asian countries that mostly come from modern Western culture , such as Malaysia, where graffiti have long been a common sight in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur . Since 2010, the country has begun hosting a street festival to encourage all generations and people from all walks of life to enjoy and encourage Malaysian street culture. Spray paint and markers are

1470-455: A prime example of the classic controversy: vandalism vs. art. Art supporters endorse his work distributed in urban areas as pieces of art and some councils, such as Bristol and Islington, have officially protected them, while officials of other areas have deemed his work to be vandalism and have removed it. Graffiti artists may become offended if photographs of their art are published in a commercial context without their permission. In March 2020,

1568-560: A remedy during labour in the twelfth-century Latin medical text, the Trotula , and was widely cited as a cure for dog bites and rabies in medieval Europe; in both cases, the remedy/cure is administered by eating bread inscribed with the words of the square. By the sixteenth century, the use of the square to cure insanity and fever was being documented in books such as De Varia Quercus Historia (1555) by Jean du Choul, and De Rerum Varietate (1557) by Gerolamo Cardano . Jean du Choul describes

1666-606: A site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of the Berlin Wall . Many writers in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as JUIF from Los Angeles and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference "נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן" (" Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman ") is commonly seen in graffiti around Israel. Graffiti has played an important role within the street art scene in the Middle East and North Africa ( MENA ), especially following

1764-452: A stern look at whose turf is whose. The subject matter of gang-related graffiti consists of cryptic symbols and initials strictly fashioned with unique calligraphies . Gang members use graffiti to designate membership throughout the gang, to differentiate rivals and associates and, most commonly, to mark borders which are both territorial and ideological. Many analysts and art critics see artistic value in some graffiti and recognize it as

1862-618: A very active graffiti culture, and graffiti are very common in Brazilian cities. This is blamed on the high uneven distribution of income, changing laws, and disenfranchisement. Pichação is a form of graffiti found in Brazil, which involves tall characters and is usually used as a form of protest. It contrasts with the more conventionally artistic values of the practitioners of grafite . Prominent Brazilian writers include Os Gêmeos , Boleta, Nunca , Nina, Speto, Tikka, and T.Freak. There are also

1960-413: Is a complex and sophisticated palindrome (which Fishwick believed was embedded with hidden Jewish symbolism, per the "Jewish Symbol" origin theory below), and to expect more from the word was unreasonable from its likely Jewish creators. Attempts have been made to discover "hidden meanings" by the anagrammatic method of rearranging the letters of which the square is composed. The origin and meaning of

2058-773: Is considered vandalism . Modern graffiti began in the New York City subway system and Philadelphia in the early 1970s and later spread to the rest of the United States and throughout the world. "Graffiti" (usually both singular and plural) and the rare singular form "graffito" are from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"). In ancient times graffiti were carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The word originates from Greek γράφειν — graphein —meaning "to write". Most petroglyphs and geoglyphs date between 40,000 and 10,000 years old,

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2156-400: Is described as a two-dimensional palindrome , or word square , which is a particular class of a double acrostic . The square comes in two forms: ROTAS (left, below), and SATOR (right, below): R O T A S O P E R A T E N E T A R E P O S A T O R S A T O R A R E P O T E N E T O P E R A R O T A S The earliest Roman-era versions of the square have the word ROTAS as

2254-507: Is known for his political, anti-war stencil art mainly in Bristol , England, but his work may be seen anywhere from Los Angeles to Palestine . In the UK, Banksy is the most recognizable icon for this cultural artistic movement and keeps his identity a secret to avoid arrest. Much of Banksy's artwork may be seen around the streets of London and surrounding suburbs, although he has painted pictures throughout

2352-466: Is likely a proper name or possibly a theophoric name , that was adapted from a non-Latin word or was invented specifically for the Sator square. French historian Jerome Carcopino believed that it came from the Gaulish word for a 'plough'; however, this has been discounted by other academics. American ancient legal historian David Daube believed that AREPO represented a Hebrew or Aramaic rendition of

2450-405: Is not considered "performance art" despite the image of the "singing and dancing star" that sells hip hop culture to the mainstream. Being a graphic form of art, it might also be said that many graffitists still fall in the category of the introverted archetypal artist . Banksy is one of the world's most notorious and popular street artists who continues to remain faceless in today's society. He

2548-563: Is the most complex form of modern graffiti. It can be difficult for those unfamiliar with the art form to read. Wildstyle draws inspiration from calligraphy and has been described as partially abstract. The term "wildstyle" was popularized by the Wild Style graffiti crew formed by Tracy 168 of the Bronx , New York in 1974. Modern graffiti art often incorporates additional arts and technologies. For example, Graffiti Research Lab has encouraged

2646-698: Is then placed on the "canvas" gently and with quick, easy strokes of the aerosol can, the image begins to appear on the intended surface. Some of the first examples were created in 1981 by artists Blek le Rat in Paris, in 1982 by Jef Aerosol in Tours (France); by 1985 stencils had appeared in other cities including New York City, Sydney, and Melbourne , where they were documented by American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis. Stickers, also known as slaps, are drawn or written on before being put up in public. Traditionally, free paper stickers like

2744-552: The Ethiopian Book of the Dead , the individual nails in Christ's cross were called: Sador, Alador, Danet, Adera, Rodas. These are likely derived from even earlier Coptic Christian works that also ascribe the wounds of Christ and the nails of the cross with names that resemble the five words from the square. While there is little doubt among academics that Christians adopted the square, it

2842-571: The Alpha and Omega that are established in Christian symbolism . The positioning of the A s and O s was further supported by the fact that the position of the T s in the Sator square formed the points of a cross – there are obscure references in the Epistle of Barnabas to T being a symbol of the cross – and that the A s and O s also lay in the four quadrants of this cross. At the time of this discovery,

2940-550: The Finnish graffiti artist Psyke expressed his displeasure at the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat publishing a photograph of a Peugeot 208 in an article about new cars, with his graffiti prominently shown on the background. The artist claims he does not want his art being used in commercial context, not even if he were to receive compensation. Territorial graffiti marks urban neighborhoods with tags and logos to differentiate certain groups from others. These images are meant to show outsiders

3038-568: The Gulf countries like Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates , Israel , and in Iran . The major Iranian newspaper Hamshahri has published two articles on illegal writers in the city with photographic coverage of Iranian artist A1one 's works on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design magazine, PingMag , has interviewed A1one and featured photographs of his work. The Israeli West Bank barrier has become

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3136-468: The Trotula , and was employed as a medieval cure for many ailments, particularly for dog bites and rabies , as well as for insanity, and relief during childbirth. It has featured in a diverse range of contemporary artworks including fiction books, paintings, musical scores, and films, and most notably in Christopher Nolan 's 2020 film Tenet . In 2020, The Daily Telegraph called it "one of

3234-472: The United States Postal Service 's Label 228 or name tags were used. Eggshell stickers, which are very difficult to remove, are also frequent. Stickers allow artists to put up their art quickly and discreetly, making them a relatively safer option for illegal graffiti. Tagging is the practice of writing ones "their name, initial or logo onto a public surface" in a handstyle unique to

3332-460: The anarcho-punk band Crass , who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war , anarchist , feminist , and anti-consumerist messages throughout the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In Amsterdam , graffiti was a major part of the punk scene. The city was covered in names such as "De Zoot", "Vendex", and "Dr Rat". To document the graffiti, a punk magazine

3430-418: The 1954 discovery of a square on a tile at Aquincum, was incorrectly translated (if anything it supported the square as a charm). Fishwick, and others, consider the key failing of the Roman puzzle theory of origin is the lack of any explanation as to why the square would later become so strongly associated with Christianity, and with being a medieval charm. Some argue that this can be bridged if considered as

3528-512: The 1974 essay "The Faith of Graffiti" referred to it using the term "graffiti", which stuck. An early graffito outside of New York or Philadelphia was the inscription in London reading " Clapton is God " in reference to the guitarist Eric Clapton . Creating the cult of the guitar hero, the phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in Islington , north London, in the autumn of 1967. The graffito

3626-583: The Middle Ages, the square was inscribed on disks that were then thrown into fires to extinguish them. An edict in 1743 by Duke Ernest Auguste of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach required all settlements to make Sator square disks to combat fires. By the fifteenth century the square was being used as a touchstone against fire at the Château de Chinon and Château de Jarnac  [ fr ] in France. The square appears as

3724-651: The Pompeii squares were added at a later date by looters. The lack of any disturbance to the volcanic deposits at the palestra, however, meant that this was unlikely, and the Paternoster theory as a proof of Christian origination lost much of its academic support. Regardless of its Christian origins, many academics considered the Paternoster discovery as being a random occurrence to be mathematically impossible. Several examined this mathematical probability including German historian Friedrich Focke  [ de ] and British historian Hugh Last , but without reaching

3822-565: The Roma-Amor palindrome, and Italian classicist Margherita Guarducci noted it was similar to the ROMA OLIM MILO AMOR two-dimensional acrostic word puzzle that was also found at Pompeii (see Wiktionary for details on the Pompeiian graffito), and at Ostia and Bolonia. Similarly, another ROTAS-form square scratched into a Roman-era wall in the basement of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore ,

3920-468: The SATOR-form (which gave an emphasis on the "sower", which was associated with Christ). Research in 2006 by French classical scholar Nicolas Vinel drew on recent discoveries on the mathematics of ancient magic squares to propose that the square was a "Jewish cryptogram using Pythagorean arithmetic". Vinel decoded several Jewish concepts in the square, including the reason for AREPO, and was able to explain

4018-467: The Sator square, particularly in its SATOR-form, became adopted into Christian imagery is not disputed by academics. Academics note the repeated association of Christ with the "sower" (or SATOR), and the words of the Sator square have been discovered in Christian settings even in very early medieval times, including: The Sator square appears in diverse Christian communities, such as in Abyssinia where in

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4116-406: The ancient Greek for alpha ( Ἄλφα ) and omega ( ω ), giving the " Alpha-Omega " concept (cf. Isiah 44.6 , and Revelation 1:8 ) from early Judeo-Christianity. J. Gwyn Griffiths contended that the term AREPO came, via Alexandria , from the attested Egyptian name "Hr-Hp" ( ḥr ḥp ), which he took to mean "the face of Apis ". In 1983, Serbian-American scholar Miroslav Marcovich proposed

4214-697: The arrival of American graffiti and was associated more with the punk rock scene than with hip-hop. In the 1980s, American graffiti and hiphop began to influence the European graffiti scene. Modern graffiti reached Eastern Europe in the 1990s. Some of the earliest graffiti exhibitions outside of the USA were in Amsterdam , The Netherlands. Graffiti in the Middle East has emerged slowly, with taggers operating in Egypt , Lebanon ,

4312-401: The artist that can be displayed anywhere from sidewalks, roofs, subways, building wall, etc. Art to them is for everyone and should be shown to everyone for free. Graffiti is a way of communicating and a way of expressing onesself. It is both art and a functional thing that can warn people of something or inform people of something. However, graffiti is to some people a form of art, but to some

4410-518: The arts, including some classical and contemporary composers such as works by Austrian composer Anton Webern and Italian composer Fabio Mengozzi , writers such as Brazilian writer Osman Lins (whose novel Avalovara (1973) follows the structure of the square), and painters such as American artist Dick Higgins with La Melancolia (1983), and American artist Gary Stephan with Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas (1982). British-American director Christopher Nolan 's 2020 film Tenet , incorporates all

4508-562: The building include Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom , actors who once portrayed a divorced couple in the American television soap opera, As the World Turns . The grounds include a 55' pool around which local bar owner Alan Walter grows Sorrento lemons and every Saint Joseph's Day makes a local version of the Sicilian and Sorrentine Limoncello called Limoncino . The building houses Mariza and

4606-453: The central word TENET, gives SATOR OPERA TENET – TENET OPERA SATOR, which has been very loosely interpreted as: "as ye sow, so shall ye reap", while some believe the square should be read as just three words – SATOR OPERA TENET, which they loosely translate as: "The Creator (the author of all things) maintains his works"; both of which could imply Graeco-Roman Stoic and/or Pythagorean origins. British academic Duncan Fishwick observes that

4704-403: The closest things the classical world had to a meme ". The Sator square is arranged as a 5 × 5 grid consisting of five 5-letter words, thus totaling 25 characters. It uses 8 different Latin letters: 5 consonants (S, T, R, P, N) and 3 vowels (A, E, O). In some versions, the vertical and horizontal lines of the grid are also drawn, but in many cases, there are no such lines. The square

4802-477: The death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began appearing around New York with the words "Bird Lives". Modern graffiti style has been heavily influenced by hip hop culture and started with young people in 1960s and 70s in New York City and Philadelphia . Tags were the first form of stylised contemporary graffiti, starting with artists like TAKI 183 and Cornbread . Later, artists began to paint throw-ups and pieces on trains on

4900-534: The decorative style of the interior), and the palestra square find was dated pre-AD 62 (and therefore the earthquake of AD 62 ), making it the oldest known Sator square discovery to date. The words are in Latin, and the following translations are known by scholars: The most direct sentence translation is: "The sower (or, farmer) Arepo holds the wheels with care (or, with care the wheels)". Similar translations include: "The farmer Arepo works his wheels", or "Arepo

4998-484: The earliest known Sator square was from the fourth century, further supporting the dating of the Christian symbolism inherent in the Paternoster theory. Academics considered the Christian origins of the square to be largely resolved. With the subsequent discovery of Sator squares at Pompeii, dating pre-79 AD, the Paternoster theory began to lose support, even among notable supporters such as French historian Guillaume de Jerphanion . Jerphanion noted: that (1) it

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5096-519: The end of the Middle Ages, the "prophylactic magic" of the square was firmly established in the superstition of Italy, Serbia, Germany, and Iceland, and eventually even crossed to North America". The square appears in versions of several popular magical manuscripts from the early and late middle ages magical text such as the Tabula Smaragdina and the Clavicula Salomonis . In Germany in

5194-710: The events of the Arab Spring of 2011 or the Sudanese Revolution of 2018/19. Graffiti is a tool of expression in the context of conflict in the region, allowing people to raise their voices politically and socially. Famous street artist Banksy has had an important effect in the street art scene in the MENA area, especially in Palestine where some of his works are located in the West Bank barrier and Bethlehem . South America has

5292-462: The five of the names from the Sator square: American author Lawrence Watt-Evans notes that Sir Terry Pratchett named the main square in the fictional city of Ankh-Morpork in his Discworld book series, "Sator Square", in a deliberate reference to the symbol. Watt-Evans notes that the Discworld series is full of other incidental references to unusual symbols and concepts. The song Tenet by

5390-516: The fourth century AD. Ancient tourists visiting the 5th-century citadel at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka write their names and commentary over the "mirror wall", adding up to over 1800 individual graffiti produced there between the 6th and 18th centuries. Most of the graffiti refer to the frescoes of semi-nude females found there. Among the ancient political graffiti examples were Arab satirist poems. Yazid al-Himyari, an Umayyad Arab and Persian poet,

5488-404: The graffiti gave a sense of the 'millenarian' and rebellious spirit, tempered with a good deal of verbal wit, of the strikers. Sator Square The Sator Square (or Rotas-Sator Square or Templar Magic Square ) is a two-dimensional acrostic class of word square containing a five-word Latin palindrome . The earliest squares were found at Roman-era sites, all in ROTAS-form (where

5586-623: The largest street art "free wall" in the south. In addition to the graffiti, the building also includes functional works created by local New Orleans artists. Erica Larkin designed doorpulls inspired by the Diddley Bow ; David Borgerding created Conversation , a monumental mailbox sculpture; and Mitchell Gaudet created loft IDs from clear glass cast in a hand-carved mold. 29°57′45″N 90°02′52″W  /  29.9624°N 90.0477°W  / 29.9624; -90.0477 Graffiti Graffiti (singular graffiti or graffito ,

5684-509: The late 1800s. The Bozo Texino monikers were documented by filmmaker Bill Daniel in his 2005 film, Who is Bozo Texino? . Contemporary graffiti has been seen on landmarks in the US, such as Independence Rock , a national landmark along the Oregon Trail . In World War II , an inscription on a wall at the fortress of Verdun was seen as an illustration of the US response twice in a generation to

5782-528: The latter only used in graffiti archeology ) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times , with examples dating back to ancient Egypt , ancient Greece , and the Roman Empire . Modern graffiti is a controversial subject. In most countries, marking or painting property without permission

5880-766: The legal problems of the IBM campaign, Sony paid building owners for the rights to paint on their buildings "a collection of dizzy-eyed urban kids playing with the PSP as if it were a skateboard, a paddle, or a rocking horse". When graffiti is done as an art form, it often utitlises the Latin script even in countries where it is not the primary writing system. English words are also often used as monikers. Stencil graffiti artists such as Blek le Rat existed in Western Europe, especially in Paris , before

5978-518: The letters " aleph " and " tau " are used in the Talmud as symbols of totality. The T s of TENET may be explained not as Christian crosses, but as a Latin form of the Jewish "tau" salvation symbol (from Ezekiel), and its archaic form (+ or X) appears regularly on ossuaries of both Hellenistic and early Roman times. Fishwick highlights the central position of the letter N , as Jews attached significance to

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6076-457: The main tools used for tagging , throw ups , and pieces . Paint markers , paint dabbers, and scratching tools are also used. Some art companies, such as Montana Colors , make art supplies specifically for graffiti and street art. Many major cities have graffiti art stores. Stencil graffiti is created by cutting out shapes and designs in a stiff material (such as cardboard or subject folders ) to form an overall design or image. The stencil

6174-480: The most prominent works in a 2003 paper published in Cryptologia . Among the more diverse but less supported theories Sheldon recorded were: In 2003, Rose Mary Sheldon noted: "Long after the fall of Rome, and long after the general public had forgotten about classical word games, the square survived among people who might not even read Latin. They continued to use it as a charm against illness, evil and bad luck. By

6272-667: The nineteenth century in South America, where the Sator square was used as a cure for dog bites and snake-bites in Brazil, and in enclaves of German settlers (or mountain whites ) in the Allegheny Mountains who used the square to prevent fire, stop fits, and prevent miscarriages. The Sator square features in eighteenth-century books on Pow-wow folk medicine of the Pennsylvania Dutch , such as The Long Lost Friend (see image). The Sator square has inspired many works in

6370-576: The oldest being cave paintings in Australia. Paintings in the Chauvet Cave were made 35,000 years ago, but little is known about who made them or why. Early artists created stencil graffiti of their hands with paint blown through a tube. These stencils may have functioned similarly to a modern-day tag . The oldest written graffiti was found in Ancient Rome around 2500 years ago. Most graffiti from

6468-455: The oldest unsolved word puzzles in the world". In 2018, American ancient classical historian Megan O'Donald still noted that "most interpretations of the ROTAS square have failed to gain consensus due to failings", and, in particular, reconciling the archeological evidence with the square's later adoption as a religious and magical object. Irrespective of the theory of its origin, the evidence that

6566-621: The ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea , they carved or painted their names and returned to initiate the grottesche style of decoration. In the 1790s, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt . Lord Byron 's survives on one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Attica , Greece. The oldest known example of graffiti monikers were found on traincars created by hobos and railworkers since

6664-431: The sides subway trains. and eventually moved into the city after the NYC metro began to buy new trains and paint over graffiti. While the art had many advocates and appreciators—including the cultural critic Norman Mailer —others, including New York City mayor Ed Koch , considered it to be defacement of public property, and saw it as a form of public blight. While those who did early modern graffiti called it "writing",

6762-419: The sower (sator) guides (tenet) the wheel (rotas) with skill (opera)". Some academics, such as French historian Jules Quicherat , believe the square should be read in a boustrophedon style (i.e. in alternating directions). The boustrophedon style, which in Greek means "as the Ox plows", emphasizes the agricultural aspect of the square. Such a reading when applied to the SATOR-form square, and repeating

6860-410: The square as being likely of Jewish origin. Fishwick notes that the failings of the Paternoster theory (above) are resolved when looked at from a Jewish perspective. Large numbers of Latin-speaking Jews had been settled in Pompeii, and their affinity for cryptic and mystical word symbols was well known. The Alpha and Omega concept appears much earlier in Judaism (Ex. 3.14; Is. 41.4, and 44.6 ), and

6958-435: The square has eluded a definitive academic consensus even after more than a century of study. In 1938, British classical historian Donald Atkinson said the square occupied the "mysterious region where religion, superstition, and magic meet, where words, numbers, and letters are believed, if properly combined, to exert power over the processes of nature ...". Even by 2003, American academic Rose Mary Sheldon called it "one of

7056-592: The square was long recognized from early medieval times, and various examples have been found in Europe, Asia Minor , North Africa (in mainly Coptic settlements), and the Americas. Medieval examples of the square in SATOR-form abound, including the earliest French example in a Carolingian Bible from AD 822 at the monastery of Saint-Germain-des-Prés . Many medieval European churches and castles have Sator square inscriptions. The first recognized serious academic study of

7154-461: The square was the 1881 publication of Reinhold Köhler's  [ de ] historical survey in Zeitschrift für Ethnologie  [ de ] , titled "Sator-Arepo-Formel", and a considerable body of academic research has been subsequently published on the meaning of the square. Up until the 1930s, a Coptic papyrus with the square in the ROTAS-form dating from the fourth or fifth century AD

7252-460: The square, but after more than a century, there is no consensus on its origin and meaning. The discovery of the "Paternoster theory" in 1926 led to a brief consensus among academics that the square was created by early Christians, but the subsequent discoveries at Pompeii led many academics to believe that the square was more likely created as a Roman word puzzle (as per the Roma-Amor puzzle ), which

7350-420: The term AREPO as a Latinized abbreviation of Harpocrates (or " Horus -the-child"), god of the rising sun, also called Γεωργός `Aρπον , which Marcovich suggests corresponds to SATOR AREPO. This would translate the square as: "The sower Horus/Harpocrates keeps in check toils and tortures". Duncan Fishwick, among other academics, believed that AREPO was simply a residual word that was required to complete what

7448-596: The time was boasts about sexual experiences, but also includes word games such as the Sator Square , "I was here" type markings, and comments on gladiators. Graffiti in Ancient Rome was a form of communication, and was generally not considered vandalism. Certain graffiti was seen as blasphemous and was removed, such as the Alexamenos graffito , which may contain one of the earliest depictions of Jesus . The graffito features

7546-412: The top line (called a ROTAS-form square, left above), but the inverted version with SATOR in the top line became more dominant from early medieval times (called a SATOR-form square, right above). Some academics call it a Rotas-Sator Square, and some of them refer to the object as a rebus , or a magic square . Since medieval times, it has also been known as a Templar Magic Square. The existence of

7644-643: The top line is "ROTAS", not "SATOR"), with the earliest discovery at Pompeii (and also likely pre-AD 62). The earliest square with Christian-associated imagery dates from the sixth century. By the Middle Ages , Sator squares had been found across Europe , Asia Minor , and North Africa . In 2022, the Encyclopedia Britannica called it "the most familiar lettered square in the Western world". A significant volume of academic research has been published on

7742-474: The translation from the boustrophedon approach fails when applied to a ROTAS-form square; however, Belgian scholar Paul Grosjean reversed the boustrophedon rule on the ROTAS-form (i.e. starting on the right-hand side instead of the left) to get SAT ORARE POTEN, which loosely translates into the Jewish call to prayer, "are you able to pray enough?". The word AREPO is a hapax legomenon (i.e. it appears nowhere else in Latin literature). Some academics believe it

7840-515: The translations of the words ROTAS OPERA TENET AREPO SATOR are irrelevant, except to the extent that they make some sense and thereby hide a Jewish cryptic charm, and to require them to mean more is "to expect the impossible". The motivation for the creation square might have been the Jewish pogroms of AD 19 or AD 49; however, it fell into disuse only to be revived later by Christians facing their own persecution, and who appreciated its hidden Paternoster and Alpha and Omega symbolism, but who focused on

7938-482: The use of projected images and magnetic light-emitting diodes ( throwies ) as new media for graffitists. Yarnbombing is another recent form of graffiti. Yarnbombers occasionally target previous graffiti for modification, which had been avoided among the majority of graffitists. Theories on the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Asger Jorn , who in 1962 painting declared in

8036-481: The utterance of the "Name" (or nomen). In addition, Fishwick believes a Jewish origin provides a satisfactory explanation for the Paternoster cross (or X) as the configuration is an archaic Jewish "tau" (+ or X). Fishwick draws attention to some liturgical prayers in Judaism, where several prayers refer to "Our Father". None of these liturgical prayers, however, can be dated to before Jesus . Fishwick concludes that

8134-745: The word SAUTRAN that appears beside the square that was discovered on the palestra column in Pompeii. Vinel addressed a criticism of the Jewish origin theory – why would the Jews have then abandoned the symbol? – by noting the Greek texts that they also abandoned (e.g. the Septuagint ) in favor of Hebrew versions. The amount of academic research published on the Rotas-Sator square is regarded as being considerable (and even described by one source as "immense"); American academic Rose Mary Sheldon attempted to catalog and review

8232-401: The world, including the Middle East, where he has painted on Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. One depicted a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. A number of exhibitions also have taken place since 2000, and recent works of art have fetched vast sums of money. Banksy's art is

8330-649: The writer. Tags were the first form of modern graffiti. A number of recent examples of graffiti make use of hashtags . Throw ups, or throwies are large, bubble-writing graffiti which aim to be "throw onto" a surface as largely and quickly as possible. Throw ups can have fills or be "hollow". They prioritise minimal negative space and consistency or letter space and height. Pieces are large, elaborate, letter-based graffiti which usually use spray paint or rollers. Pieces often have multi-coloured fills and outlines, and may use highlights, shadows, backgrounds, extensions, 3D effects, and sometimes characters . Wildstyle

8428-523: The wrongs of the Old World: Austin White – Chicago, Ill – 1918 Austin White – Chicago, Ill – 1945 This is the last time I want to write my name here. During World War II and for decades after, the phrase " Kilroy was here " with an accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and ultimately filtering into American popular culture. Shortly after

8526-539: Was a witch. Richard Cavendish notes a medieval manuscript in the Bodleian says: "Write these [five sator] words on in parchment with the blood of a Culver [pigeon] and bear it in thy left hand and ask what thou wilt and thou shalt have it. fiat." Other examples include Bosnia, where the square was used as a remedy for aquaphobia , and in Iceland, it was etched into the fingernails to cure jaundice . There are examples from

8624-504: Was captured in a photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall . Films like Style Wars in the 80s depicting famous writers such as Skeme, Dondi , MinOne, and ZEPHYR reinforced graffiti's role within New York's emerging hip-hop culture. Although many officers of the New York City Police Department found this film to be controversial, Style Wars is still recognized as the most prolific film representation of what

8722-415: Was considered the earliest version. In 1889, British ancient historian Francis Haverfield identified the 1868 discovery of a Sator square found in ROTAS-form scratched on a plaster wall in the Roman settlement of Corinium at Cirencester to be of Roman origin; however, his assertion was discounted at the time by most academics who considered the square to be an "early medieval charm". Haverfield

8820-489: Was extensively covered by graffiti reflecting social pressures related to the oppressive Soviet rule over the GDR . Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes

8918-547: Was found alongside the Roma-Amor, and the Roma-Summus-Amor, palindromes. Duncan Fishwick noted the "composition of palindromes was, in fact, a pastime of Roman landed gentry". American classical epigraphist Rebecca Benefiel, noted that by 2012, Pompeii had yielded more than 13,000 separate inscriptions and that the house of Publius Paquius Proculus (where a square was found) had more than 70 pieces of graffiti alone. A 1969 computer study by Charles Douglas Gunn started with

9016-541: Was going on within the young hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Fab   5 Freddy and Futura 2000 took hip hop graffiti to Paris and London as part of the New York City Rap Tour in 1983. With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks

9114-442: Was improbable that many Christians were present at Pompeii, that (2) first-century Christians would have written the square in Greek and not Latin, that (3) the Christian concepts of Alpha and Omega only appear after the first century, that (4) the symbol of the cross only appears from about AD 130–131, and that (5) cryptic Christian symbols only appeared during the persecutions of the third century . Jérôme Carcopino claimed

9212-437: Was later adopted by Christians. This origin theory, however, fails to explain how a Roman word puzzle then became such a powerful religious and magical medieval symbol. It has instead been argued that the square was created in its ROTAS-form as a Jewish symbol, embedded with cryptic religious symbolism, which was later adopted in its SATOR-form by Christians. There are many other less-supported academic origin theories, such as

9310-503: Was most known for writing his political poetry on the walls between Sajistan and Basra , manifesting a strong hatred towards the Umayyad regime and its walis , and people used to read and circulate them very widely. Graffiti, known as Tacherons, were frequently scratched on Romanesque Scandinavian church walls. When Renaissance artists such as Pinturicchio , Raphael , Michelangelo , Ghirlandaio , or Filippino Lippi descended into

9408-454: Was not clear that they had originated the symbol. During 1924 to 1926, three people separately discovered, or rediscovered, that the square could be used to write the name of the Lord's Prayer , the "Paternoster", twice and intersecting in a cross-form (see image opposite). The remaining residual letters (two A s and two O s) could be placed in the four quadrants of the cross and would represent

9506-430: Was started that was called Gallery Anus . So when hip hop came to Europe in the early 1980s, there was already a vibrant graffiti culture. The student protests and general strike of May 1968 saw Paris bedecked in revolutionary, anarchistic, and situationist slogans such as L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is counterrevolutionary") and Lisez moins, vivez plus ("Read less, live more"). While not exhaustive,

9604-474: Was ultimately proved right by the 1931-32 excavations at Dura-Europos in Syria that uncovered three Sator separate square inscriptions, all in ROTAS-form, on the interior walls of a Roman military office (and a fourth a year later) that were dated from circa AD 200. Five years later in 1936, Italian archaeologist Matteo Della Corte  [ it ] discovered a Sator square, also in ROTAS-form, inscribed on

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