You would think that societies with millions of people, the majority of whom were lower class, would have more visibility and written records about them than any other class. it’s up to us to analyze. Unfortunately, this is not the case. People who possessed wealth and power normally had the privilege of having records made for future societies and people to study and read. Fortunately, graffiti in Roman society says a lot about the political life that the everyday Roman lived. Most graffiti that mentions something politically related tends to seem like it's sending a message that the particular politician they're talking about is either for or against the people. For example, some mention "All the goldsmiths support Gaius Cuspious Pansa for the post of commissioner of public works" (SNT p. 190). From this we can probably assume that whoever decided to write this message was trying to conspire that there was some sort of connection between Gaius and the goldsmiths that was either corrupt or simply he was a goldsmith and wanted to let the others support Gaius. But it most likely sends the message that the rich support Gaius. Others who are in much the same state of mind declare: “The mule drivers support Gaius Julius Polybius for mayor. Genialis supports Bruttius Balbus for mayor. It will balance the budget” (SNT p. 190). The listing makes it seem like Polybius is not the best choice for mayor. He points out that it is possible that the mayors before them spent money lavishly without caring about the lower class made up of commoners. The graffiti is very clear in favor of a person running for mayor, Balbus, and makes it clear that he is the obvious choice who will get the job done. Other markings take a d...... middle of paper ......NT p. 190). The only thing that comes to mind when reading the statement is that the inscriptions were perhaps a bit far-fetched. Even though the tasks he could have accomplished are plausible, they nevertheless seem incredible; only the evidence would prove otherwise. These days, things like an ego can quickly become someone we are not. Especially in today's society where online social interaction is the norm, the similarities are obvious. Despite the gap of several centuries, the opinions of people then are quite similar to those of today. Perspectives range from cruel and intentional to gentle and selfish, what's interesting is that people in modern times share similar views to those in the past. Works Cited Lockard, Craig A. Societies, Networks, and Transitions. 2nd ed. Flight. 1. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. 190. Print.