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Medieval graffiti

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lightbulbAbout this topic
Medieval graffiti refers to inscriptions, drawings, or carvings created on surfaces during the Middle Ages, typically found in churches, castles, and urban settings. These markings serve as historical artifacts, reflecting the social, cultural, and religious practices of the time, as well as the personal expressions of individuals within medieval society.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Medieval graffiti refers to inscriptions, drawings, or carvings created on surfaces during the Middle Ages, typically found in churches, castles, and urban settings. These markings serve as historical artifacts, reflecting the social, cultural, and religious practices of the time, as well as the personal expressions of individuals within medieval society.

Key research themes

1. How can digital ontologies and methodological frameworks improve the documentation and analysis of medieval and early modern graffiti?

This research area focuses on developing structured, interoperable approaches to documenting and analyzing the multifaceted nature of medieval and early modern graffiti. It addresses challenges in integrating textual, pictorial, and contextual data to enhance scholarly understanding and foster cross-disciplinary research.

Key finding: This paper proposes a CIDOC CRM-based ontology to holistically describe graffiti by integrating textual and pictorial forms alongside contextual and support data, addressing the lack of a unified methodology and enabling... Read more
Key finding: The study demonstrates that recurrent patterns in handwritten wall inscriptions over centuries indicate a culturally rooted, structured practice rather than random acts of vandalism, underscoring the importance of analyzing... Read more
Key finding: The systematic photographic and raking light survey of historic graffiti at St Leonard’s church employed advanced non-invasive techniques to provide a detailed interpretative record that supports conservation efforts,... Read more

2. What social, cultural, and devotional significances are revealed by medieval ship graffiti and pictorial inscriptions in maritime and ecclesiastical contexts?

This theme investigates the iconography, spatial distribution, and social context of ship graffiti and related inscriptions on medieval monuments, emphasizing their roles as expressions of identity, devotion, and socio-economic transformations in maritime communities and religious settings.

Key finding: By documenting 233 medieval to modern ship graffiti in 44 Cypriot monuments, this study reveals that these inscriptions serve as both iconic representations and social markers within religious and secular buildings,... Read more
Key finding: The identification of post-medieval ship graffiti on the Antrim coast illustrated a performative and provocative nature of these images within maritime communities; the association with changing socioeconomic conditions... Read more
Key finding: Runic and ship graffiti in Hagia Sophia provide material evidence of Varangian presence and social mobility within Byzantine society, evidencing elite Scandinavian mercenaries' integration and cultural exchange, and... Read more

3. How do medieval graffiti function as markers of social identity, religious devotion, and cultural interaction in ecclesiastical and funerary contexts across Europe and the Mediterranean?

This theme explores the epigraphic and pictorial graffiti within churches and necropolises, examining how these inscriptions encode personal names, prayers, heraldic symbols, and cultural narratives that reveal diverse patterns of religious devotion, pilgrimage, identity construction, and interethnic relations during the medieval and late antique periods.

Key finding: Newly uncovered Armenian textual graffiti dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre reveal pilgrims’ names and prayers layer upon earlier inscriptions, illustrating a continuous and... Read more
Key finding: Advanced digital imaging uncovered a rich epigraphic and heraldic corpus within the Cenacle monastery, including inscriptions linked to diverse pilgrim nationalities and notable historical figures, demonstrating how graffiti... Read more
Key finding: Analysis of graffiti inscriptions in the Gemer region highlights the spectrum from simple initials to full names with professions and religious texts, evidencing their role as spontaneous yet meaningful expressions of... Read more
Key finding: The identification and paleographic analysis of Greek textual graffiti in Murfatlar’s Church B4 reveal their significance for understanding scribal practices and cultural backgrounds of medieval inhabitants, adding relative... Read more
Key finding: The study presents linguistic and paleographic analyses of two Cyrillic graffiti dated to the 10th and 13th-14th centuries, respectively, elucidating their prayerful content and geographic affiliations tied to Eastern Balkan... Read more

All papers in Medieval graffiti

Lo studio esamina per la prima volta in modo sistematico l’apparato decorativo e il vasto corpus di graffiti del complesso rupestre dei Locori di Monsignore, situato nel Parco della Murgia Materana, tra i confini di Basilicata e Puglia.... more
The development of graffiti studies during the last couple of decades highlighted the relevance and potential of graffiti as a complementary source for understanding different aspects of past societies. Moreover, the availability of... more
El presente artículo constituye la primera publicación científica dedicada íntegramente a una de las iglesias románicas menos estudiadas del valle de Bohí (Lleida), la iglesia de la Natividad de Santa María de Durro. Mientras que en la... more
The article analyzes 298 graffiti from St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv (16th – mid-17th centuries) to reconstruct the social profile of their authors. The study identifies nobles, clergy, burghers, Cossacks, and others, with the nobility... more
Analisi di un'iscrizione inmurata nel prospetto meridionale della chiesa medievale di San Lussorio, a circa 1,5 km a sud di Fordongianus, eretta nel locus depositionis delle spoglie del martire, inglobando un martyrium paleocristiano,... more
Introduction of "Textes, images et voix. Perspective sur la culture arabe. Hommages à Claude Audebert"
The Armenian monasteries and churches in Jerusalem are rich in pilgrims' inscriptions and graffiti, and the collection and publication of these inscriptions form the primary focus of my research, which began in 2019 as part of the project... more
В статье рассматриваются 15 надписей, преимущественно древнерусского происхождения. Дается новое или уточненное прочтение следующих текстов: граффито на Перемышльском кресте, надписи на амулете-змеевике из Каневского уезда, надгробной... more
in Atti del III Convegno Internazionale per giovani ricercatrici e ricercatori Innovamenti. Spazi e percorsi di innovazione per una ricerca multidisciplinare, a cura di Bora Avşar, Federica Brachini, Giulia Peri, Giulia Virgilio,... more
Handwritten Wall-Inscriptions (HWI): A Cultural Practice While writing on the walls of buildings and public structures is generally classified as vandalism and viewed negatively today, historical evidence preserved in some public... more
The development of graffiti studies during the last couple of decades highlighted the relevance and potential of graffiti as a complementary source for understanding different aspects of past societies. Moreover, the availability of... more
In un cortile ‘segreto’ del giardino di Boboli, detto delle Cacce perché sin dall’epoca medicea qui trovavano ricovero i cani utilizzati negli svaghi venatori, sono stati condotti due saggi stratigrafici diretti dalla Soprintendenza al... more
El arte de la alfarería alcanzó en la Granada nazarí una de sus más elevadas cotas, no solo por la diversidad de sus técnicas y diseños decorativos, y por la excepcionalidad de los “jarrones de la Alhambra”, monumento de la loza dorada,... more
El arte de la alfarería alcanzó en la Granada nazarí una de sus más elevadas cotas, no solo por la diversidad de sus técnicas y diseños decorativos, y por la excepcionalidad de los “jarrones de la Alhambra”, monumento de la loza dorada,... more
El arte de la alfarería alcanzó en la Granada nazarí una de sus más elevadas cotas, no solo por la diversidad de sus técnicas y diseños decorativos, y por la excepcionalidad de los “jarrones de la Alhambra”, monumento de la loza dorada,... more
In un cortile ‘segreto’ del giardino di Boboli, detto delle Cacce perché sin dall’epoca medicea qui trovavano ricovero i cani utilizzati negli svaghi venatori, sono stati condotti due saggi stratigrafici diretti dalla Soprintendenza al... more
Tradizionalmente interpretati come segno di una spontaneità estemporanea e libera da restrizioni o, ancora più spesso, come risultato di atti di contestazione o di semplice vandalismo, i graffiti sono una costante della civiltà umana,... more
Se analizan en este artículo el contraste entre la simbología de la victoria y el buen lugar en los palacios de la Alhambr con las imágenes y conceptos extraídos de la poesía carcelaria nazarí y andalusí, que contó también con... more
Un manuscrito atribuido al jurista D. Mariano de Madramany y Calatayud con fecha indeterminada en el tránsito del siglo XVIII al XIX, del que se conserva copia en la Biblioteca de Extremadura, aporta nuevos datos sobre las vicisitudes que... more
Ozanlık,Aşıklık, Abdallık köken itibari ile Kam/Şaman ve Kayçı geleneğine dayanır. Esirip, kendinden geçerek ve Ozlaşarak(Tanrı katına yaklaşarak) aşk ateşiyle yananlara Ozan denir. Ozanlığın okulu ve diploması olmaz Ozanlar içindeki... more
Mobility of people, goods, and ideas has been at the center of our understanding of shaping histories, with the mobility of the Varangians being the best example of this cross-border exchange. Hailing from Scandinavia, the Varangians,... more
L es individus qui s'exprimèrent sur la pierre au moyen de leurs graffiti n'imaginaient certainement pas que leur geste aurait une telle portée. Plus d'un millénaire après avoir été gravés, ces « petits textes » en langue arabe nous en... more
An epigraphic study and translation of a Kufic painted inscription from a Mudejar period building in Toledo (Spain). The inscription contains six short arabic poems or poem fragments of qasida type. One of these poems appears also at... more
Метою статті є дослідження апотропеїчних графіті на стінах храму св. Пантелеймона в с. Шевченкове, а також аналіз їх можливого значення та історичного контексту. Основна увага зосереджена на таких категоріях як VV-знаки, нескінченний... more
Створення графіті на храмах було поширеним явищем у Середньовіччі та ранньомодерний час. На стінах давніх святинь часто можна побачити написи та зображення різноманітного змісту. Cьогодні така діяльність однозначно сприймається як... more
Dans un premier article paru dans la livraison 2023 du Bulletin annuel de l’ADANE, nous avions abordé le thème de la présence de graffiti, jusqu’à présent inconnus et inexplorés, à l’extérieur de certains édifices religieux du... more
This is my dissertation in French (Sorbonne, 2019). I'm working on a revised version.
If you're interested in an English unchecked automatic translation, please contact me on Academia.
В статье разбираются два эпиграфических памятника из Боснии и Герцеговины (из окрестностей Ливна и Любушкого) и группа граффити из долины реки Брегальницы, в восточной части Северной Македонии. Эти памятники объединяет то, что разные... more
Examining the Bjørnkær Castle site reveals a unique blend of archaeology and citizen science, with the discovery of the earliest alchemist’s workshop in the North that was in use in the 14th century. The history of Western alchemy traces... more
В сборнике представлены статьи научных сотрудников и хранителей фондовых коллекций Государственного Владимиро-Суздальского музея-заповедника, подготовленные на основе докладов, прозвучавших 16 декабря 2020 года в рамках ежегодной... more
Runer er et skriftsystem som har vært utbredt i store deler av det germanske språkområdet. Den mest utstrakte bruken av runer finner vi i Skandinavia, der runene var i bruk i godt over tusen år, helt siden begynnelsen av vår tidsregning... more
The main goal of our study is to analyse the descriptive terminology used in academic discourse dedicated to Ukrainian epigraphy employing a corpus-based approach. Using the BootCat tool and custom tuples such as "епіграфіка графіті... more
In questo saggio viene presentato il progetto Screnim: The dream of freedom. Writing in confinement in Early Modern Italy (15th-19th centuries), il cui principale scopo è quello di condurre un censimento dei graffiti carcerari della... more
Preservation of cultural heritage in recent years has seen an increase of interest especially in the Eastern Mediterranean-due to ongoing conflicts and civil wars. As result of these conflicts numerous ancient and historical monuments... more
A partire dalla nuova ipotesi formulata da Calaresu per l’iscrizione di Commodilla, si cerca di formulare un’interpretazione che tenga conto della parafrasi più corretta, del nesso con l’affresco della vedova Tortora e dell’istituto della... more
Sezione "Origini e Duecento" della Rassegna bibliografica
The article is devoted to the linguistic analysis of the phrase "az pop ipir likhoy", made by a copyist of Christian books in 1047. The study concluded that the priest's name is missing, and the content of the signature corresponds to the... more
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