Gambler’s Game or Christian Cryptogram?

The large Greco-Roman cities around the Mediterranean boasted spectacular temples, magnificent public fountains, and impressive city gates and streets. Much less imposing in the archaeological record are graffiti—informal, secondary inscriptions scratched into stone walls and pavements. Among them is the enigmatic eight-spoked wheel, which most commonly appears in temples, in front of monumental fountains, at building entrances, and near the intersections of major streets.1 Eight-spoked wheel graffiti usually measure between 8 and 30 inches in diameter and often appear informally etched into street paving stones as well as on floors and steps of buildings. Dozens of such graffiti are known […]