graffiti

n. informal drawings or writing found on ancient walls by archaeologists.

n. informal or spontaneous inscriptions or figure drawings found on ancient structures, as opposed to formal, official monumental inscriptions.

“Archaeologists found ancient graffiti on the walls of the Roman barracks.”

“The preservation of Pompeian graffiti provides historians with invaluable insights into the daily lives and political opinions of ordinary citizens in the first century.”

Technical

v. to draw or write on a wall or building in a public place.

v. to mark a surface with unauthorised drawings or inscriptions. This transitive use is less common than the noun form.

“Someone had graffitied a large heart on the side of the old bridge.”

“The abandoned factory had been heavily graffitied over the years, leaving almost no original brickwork visible to the surveyors.”