Drawing of a bull

((:taurus))


Description of Drawing (English): bull
Findspot: Smyrna, Basilica (Agora.1)
Drawing Category: Animals
Writing Style: Graffito/incised
  • Graffito Height: 17
  • Graffito Length: 15
Bibliography: Bagnall, R. S. et al., Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna (2016): 395.
Langner, M. 2001. Antike Graffitizeichnungen. Motive, Gestaltung, und Bedeutung. Palilia, 11. Wiesbaden: no. 1479.
Commentary: Graffito of a humped bull, located on the western face of Pier A83. The bull is in profile, turned toward the left. The upper half of the body is better articulated, while the hind legs are barely sketched, and the forelegs are missing altogether. The tail is a straight horizontal line. The body is flat at the top, apart from the circular hump in the middle of the back, and undulating at the bottom, to emphasize the rotundity of the stomach and of the breast. The head, with one large oval eye set vertically, has two short conical horns but no muzzle. A similar graffito was found in a house in Ephesos dated to the Late Antique Period (Langner 2001: no. 1479).
Suggested Citation: AGP-SMYDP0831, The Ancient Graffiti Project, <https://ancientgraffiti.org/Graffiti/graffito/AGP-SMYDP0831> [accessed: 21 Nov 2024]
Contributions:

Editor: Roger S. Bagnall

Principal Contributor: Roger S. Bagnall

Last Revision: 2016-10-03