Antiquity Studies

Epigraphic Falsification

Methods and Case Studies

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open access | peer reviewed
    edited by
  • Lorenzo Calvelli - Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italia - email orcid profile

Abstract
The book investigates the complex articulations of epigraphic forgery, a phenomenon widely attested in Italy between the late Middle Ages and the 18th century. Non-genuine inscriptions or falsae, as Theodor Mommsen called them, are those that present themselves as ancient, but in reality are not. They can be produced either on material support or simply on paper. Within them, different types of documents can be distinguished: forgeries made for malicious purposes, replicas of ancient inscriptions, and texts or monuments inspired by classical epigraphic models. The book brings together fifteen scholarly essays, which examine individual cases of forgery, reconstruct the epistemology of forgery criticism and rehabilitate numerous epigraphs mistakenly believed to be forgeries, while confirming their actual antiquity.

Keywords Decretum Rubiconis • Aqua Vergine • Forged inscriptions • Cities • G • Forgeries • Epigraphic research • Antiquarian market in the early 1900s • Epigraphy • Fake • Epigraph balanced between dimensions and inscripti • Fitzwilliam Museum • Internet • Amphora • Lex de imperio Vespasiani Antonio Agustín • Luigi Biraghi • Forged blunder • Spurious imitations • Ciriaco de’ Pizzicolli • Copies • Ancient restorations • Counterfeit instrumentum inscriptum • Pirro Ligorio • Digital editions • Antonio Trevisi • Roman Liguria • Spain • F • Pseudo-antique palaeography • CIL VI 990* • Jacopo Valvasone • Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum • Latin poets of Renaissance • Ager Mediolanensis • Coarse altar • Fake inscriptions • Aquileia • Inscribed zone as decorative surface • False inscriptions • Thomas Hollis • Non-alphabetic graphemes • Casa Museo dell’Antiquariato Ivan Bruschi • Epigraphic forgeries • Critical editions • Epigraphic forgeries on paper • Epitaph • CIL VI 991* • House of Savoy • Manuscripts • Aqueducts • Renaissance • Lucas Peto • Primacy of Sardinia • Printed editions • Savoy Piedmont • Documentary forgeries • Marche • Meyranesio • Senatus consultum • Intellectual history • Council of Trent • John Disney • Classical scholarship • Pingone • Manuscript • Theodor Mommsen • Christian forgeries • Epigraphic models • Antiquarians • Forgery • Latin epigraphy • Lepontic • Mariangelo Accursio

Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-386-1 | e-ISBN 978-88-6969-386-1 | ISBN (PRINT) 978-88-6969-387-8 | Number of pages 312 | Dimensions 16x23cm | Published Dec. 16, 2019 | Language fr, en, it

Copyright © 2019 Lorenzo Calvelli. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.