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

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 en, it, fr

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.