Over time, writings, drawings and doodles were added, sometimes haphazardly, in the margins of frescoes, sculptures and architectural buildings. They tell the story of those artefacts, but also of the individuals and communities who used them. Such evidence is usually referred to as “graffiti”. The lecture will be an attempt to approach graffiti critically, starting with a reflection on their nature as well as the term itself. I will leave aside the negative connotations that have been attributed to the term in modern times, and, instead, will discuss its meaning and role in the history of written communication in the course of the Middle Ages.
Carlo Tedeschi is Professor of Palaeography at the University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy. He is the project leader and PI of the ERC Advanced Grant Graff-IT, Writing on the Margins: Graffiti in Italy, 7th to 16th century (https://graffitproject.eu/). His publications focus on various aspects, periods, and geographical areas of medieval writing culture.