History

2,000-Year-Old Poem Discovered In Pompeii About A Woman Yearning For Another Woman

In the ruins of ancient Pompeii, where life was abruptly halted by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, an extraordinary relic of personal expression has been preserved—a poem inscribed on a wall by one woman expressing longing for another.

Known formally as CIL 4.5296 (or CLE 950), this poem is one of the longest surviving texts discovered among Pompeii’s many wall inscriptions. It offers a unique glimpse into ancient Roman emotions, particularly in the rare context of same-gender love.

CIL 4.5296 Poem Discovered In Pompeii

Pompeii

Translation:

Oh, if only I could hold your little arms wrapped around my neck
and press kisses to your tender little lips.
Go then, little doll, trust your happiness to the winds.
Believe me, the nature of men[c] is fickle.
Often I would lie awake, lost in the middle of the night,
Thinking to myself: many whom Fortune has lifted up high,
those, suddenly hurled away/abandoned and falling headlong, she then oppresses.
So too, after Venus has unexpectedly joined the bodies of lovers,
daylight divides them and…

Pompeii’s layers of volcanic ash preserved countless traces of daily life, from houses to streets and marketplaces, as well as thousands of pieces of graffiti. These inscriptions, some simple notes and others full-fledged literary expressions, provide a direct link to the lives of Pompeians and often reveal much about their relationships, beliefs, and humor. The poem labeled CIL 4.5296 is exceptional, however, because of its length, sophistication, and the profound emotional intimacy it conveys.

This particular poem was rediscovered in the 19th century during the excavations led by Italian archaeologists. Since the initial rediscovery of Pompeii’s ruins in 1748, efforts to excavate the site intensified, uncovering temples, bathhouses, homes, and personal artifacts. In the mid-1800s, as more residences were unearthed, archaeologists were struck by the sheer number of graffiti and inscriptions on walls, with messages ranging from advertisements to poems.

CIL 4.5296 was initially overlooked in the broader sweep of archaeological findings but eventually caught the attention of philologists, who began cataloging it along with the other surviving graffiti from Pompeii. During this process, the elegant phrasing and themes of yearning and loss within the poem stood out, leading scholars to identify it as one of the most literary of the Pompeian inscriptions. Its rediscovery stirred curiosity, particularly for its exploration of a woman’s emotions directed toward another woman—an uncommon theme in classical literature.

The Poem: A Window into Pompeian Culture and Emotion

Written in Latin, the poem is composed in elegiac couplets, a meter often used for themes of love, desire, and grief in Roman poetry. These were the same poetic structures used by famous Roman poets like Ovid, Propertius, and Catullus, though their works typically addressed heterosexual relationships. The poem in CIL 4.5296 reflects a level of education and literary knowledge, suggesting that the writer might have belonged to Pompeii’s upper or educated class.

While many of Pompeii’s graffiti inscriptions are playful or even crude, CIL 4.5296 is far more introspective. Its lines capture the poet’s romantic longing, using imagery of desire, beauty, and unattainable love. Though the woman’s identity remains unknown, her emotional honesty hints at a society where private feelings sometimes found their way into public spaces, whether intentionally or as a fleeting gesture of rebellion or catharsis.

The Context of Gender and Desire in Ancient Rome

Ancient Roman attitudes toward sexuality were complex and often reflected through the lens of status and social hierarchy. While relationships between men were documented and sometimes even idealized, female relationships rarely appeared in literature or historical texts. However, Pompeii’s graffiti reveal that personal expressions of love, attraction, and yearning were more fluid than might be expected from formal Roman literature or legal codes.

The discovery of this poem challenges some assumptions about the strictly defined social roles of women in ancient Rome. It suggests that women, too, expressed a variety of desires and relationships, even if they seldom appeared in the official historical record. Pompeii, as a port city, would have been a diverse and vibrant cultural hub where different philosophies, religions, and customs mingled. This social diversity may have allowed a greater range of personal expression within Pompeii’s walls compared to the more conservative societal centers of Rome.

The Preservation and Study of CIL 4.5296

In the 20th century, the discovery of CIL 4.5296 gained renewed scholarly interest as researchers began to catalog and study Pompeii’s wall inscriptions more systematically. The poem became an invaluable part of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL), a comprehensive collection of Latin inscriptions from the Roman Empire. For philologists and historians, this text offered an unusual example of personal romantic expression and an opportunity to explore themes of same-gender love within the context of ancient Rome.

Today, the poem is studied not only as an artifact of Roman society but also as a rare literary work from a female perspective. Inscriptions like CIL 4.5296 offer a unique lens into the emotional landscape of Pompeii and serve as a testament to the private lives that thrived amidst the hustle of ancient urban life.

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