Ancient Comics Found On Walls Of 2,000-Year-Old Roman Tomb

A tomb uncovered in Jordan contains a plethora of amazing artifacts, including several paintings covering the walls. They are being referred to as “comics” because of the writing next to the painting that detail scenarios and interaction between the figures.

The figures depicted are gods and humans, engaging one another in activities with the text giving descriptions of what is going on and who the characters are. Researchers noticed that, all together, the paintings form a narrative and depict the creation of the ancient city of Capitolias, the city in which the tomb is located.

The text is an early example of what are known in comics as speech bubbles, and while this is not the earliest example of this kind of practice, it gives lots of insight into the life of the Ancient citizens of Rome. There are over 260 drawings in the tomb.