Advertising may feel like a modern nuisance, but the practice of promoting products and ideas is anything but new—these amazingly ancient ads prove it.
Amazingly Ancient Advertising Techniques
10 Pompeii Brothels
Ever been stuck at the front of a fast‑food line, undecided about what to order? The owners of Pompeii’s brothels faced a very similar dilemma.
They painted explicit scenes on the walls so patrons could instantly see the services on offer. The Lupanare (“Wolf’s Den”), a purpose‑built brothel with ten rooms, displayed such murals to advertise its various pleasures.
Even the streets were lined with graffiti pointing out the best prostitutes. One note reads, “If anyone wants a screw, look for Attice; she costs 4 sestertii.” Another directs, “At Nuceria, find Novellia Primigenia near the Roman gate in the prostitutes’ district.”
9 Pompeii Politics
Politics was the other “oldest profession.” Candidates in Pompeii plastered the walls with election notices, much like modern campaign flyers.
One example shouts, “Neighbors beg you to elect Lucius Statius Receptus duumvir with judicial power, a worthy man. Aemilius Celer wrote this, a neighbor. You jealous one who destroys this, may you fall ill.”
The formula was simple: a supporter declares backing for a candidate and urges others to follow suit. Even a group of prostitutes got involved, urging voters to support a particular aedile, which reads like an ancient negative ad.
8 Greek Pottery
Classical Greek vases often sported red‑figure or black‑figure scenes that seemed to move as the pot turned.
Many potters signed their work, turning a signature into a branding tool—much like a modern artist’s autograph boosts value.
Euthymides even bragged, writing “better than Euphronios could ever have done” on one vase. In the Louvre, a jug bears the slogan “Buy me, you will be getting a bargain,” arguably one of the earliest advertising taglines.
7 Jinan Liu’s Fine Needle Shop
Printing birthed a new wave of marketing. Around a millennium ago in China, Jinan Liu began promoting his needle‑making business with leaflets.
The copy read, “We buy high quality steel rods and make fine quality needles, ready for home use in no time.” Above the text sits a rabbit clutching a needle—the earliest known brand mascot.
A copper plate was engraved with the design, allowing mass production of paper copies that fluttered through streets, foreshadowing the leaflets you might find under a windshield wiper today.
6 Coins
Coins are the ultimate “always‑on” billboard, slipping into everyday hands without the owner even noticing.
Ancient rulers used coinage to broadcast their power. Julius Caesar stamped his face on Roman coins, claiming descent from Venus. Brutus added twin daggers to his reverse, reminding citizens he had ended tyranny.
Later emperors followed suit: Augustus announced his divine parentage, while Trajan depicted his Dacian triumph, turning a single copper disk into a portable propaganda piece.
5 Stamped Bricks
In ancient Mesopotamia, mud bricks were the construction staple—and a perfect advertising canvas.
Over 4,000 years ago, bricks bore cuneiform inscriptions naming the king who commissioned the building. Nebuchadnezzar branded Babylon with bricks that read, “Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who provides for Esagila and Ezida, the eldest son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, am I.”
Centuries later, Saddam Hussein rebuilt Babylon using bricks that proclaimed, “Saddam Hussein, the protector of Iraq, rebuilt civilization and rebuilt Babylon.” Those bricks were visible to all, unlike the hidden inscriptions of earlier times.
4 Sponsored Games
Big sports have always attracted big money, and the Romans were no exception. Gladiatorial spectacles in Pompeii’s amphitheater doubled as political propaganda.
Wall ads announced the benefactors: “20 pairs of gladiators of Gnaeus Alleius Nigidius Maius will fight without any public expense at Pompeii.” Another inscription listed “20 pairs of gladiators of Decimus Lucretius Satrius Valens… will fight at Pompeii on 4 April. There will be a hunt.”
When citizens later voted, the names of the sponsors lingered in their minds, serving as ancient brand recall.
3 Fish Sauce And Olive Oil
Amphorae—large ceramic jars used for transport—often bore stamps that acted as product labels.
Pompeian archaeologists uncovered jars of garum (fermented fish sauce) stamped “Finest garum from the factory of Umbricius Abascantus” and “First‑rate garum from the factory of Marcus Acceius Telemachus.”
Olive oil, a staple for cooking, lighting, and medicine, also carried origin stamps. Spanish Baetican amphorae displayed their provenance, while North African jars rarely did, suggesting a marketing advantage for the former.
2 Runaway Slaves
Just as we post “Missing Cat” flyers today, ancient owners advertised lost slaves.
In Pompeii, wall graffiti described the fugitive and offered a reward. Elsewhere, Egyptian papyrus fragments promised payment to anyone who returned a runaway slave to the army barracks.
Unlike beloved pets, recaptured slaves faced harsh punishments, underscoring the grim reality behind these ancient classifieds.
1 Ancient Alcohols
Alcoholic beverages were prime advertising material even in antiquity.
Alan D. Eames claimed a Mesopotamian tablet depicted a voluptuous woman offering “Drink Elba, the beer with the heart of a lion,” though photographic proof never surfaced.
Word‑of‑mouth campaigns also thrived. Falernian wine, praised by poets and even deemed worthy of Zeus, gained legendary status. A 121 BC vintage fetched astronomical prices, proving that tastemakers have long been the most effective marketers.