‘Falsi’ epigrafici in Internet: una fenomenologia
abstract
Several websites, especially of auction houses, have been selling for many years ancient inscriptions, especially from the Roman period, on stone, metal or other materials. Among these there are also false or dubious inscriptions, some outstandingly produced, but many of very poor quality, often sold as genuine. These are both fakes, cleverly made for fraudulent purposes, and forgeries so poor as to be hardly credible, or copies, more or less faithful, of genuine inscriptions. This paper outlines the most significant aspects of this phenomenon and examines some case studies.
Keywords: Counterfeit instrumentum inscriptum • Copies • Internet • False inscriptions