Egypt, Ancient Thebes, Valley of the Kings, Painted relief of pharaoh at Tomb of Ramses VI. Photo / Getty Images
Egypt, Ancient Thebes, Valley of the Kings, Painted relief of pharaoh at Tomb of Ramses VI. Photo / Getty Images
"I visited and I did not like anything except the sarcophagus!"
The Roman who scrawled that remark on the wall of the tomb of Ramses VI, in Egypt, 2000 years ago was an earlier forerunner of the TripAdvisor and social media ranters so common today. The graffiti has been examinedby Polish scientists, finding more than 1000 inscriptions.
For travel writers, it's heartening to know that sightseeing — and feeling the urge to share one's views about the sights seen — is as old as the Roman Empire.
"I can not read this writing!" wrote one visitor. In an exchange that could have been straight out of a Facebook group chat, another wrote: "Why do you care that you can not read the hieroglyphs, I do not understand your concern!"
