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FORGERIES AND SOUVENIRS

Forgeries of archaeological finds have always been made, but increased dramatically after the surge of interest in antiquities in the 16th century.  The quality of forgeries varies greatly, some would only fool the most naive of tourists, while others confound the experts.  In the 19th century, there were even some archaeologists who conspired with dealers and craftsmen to make their forgeries as authentic-looking as possible.

Although forgeries are usually made and sold for financial gain, we also know of scholars who ‘discovered’ and published their own forgeries in order to achieve fame. One of these was the early antiquarian Pyrrho Ligorio (c 1510-1583), who first invented and then published dozens of funerary inscriptions.

In the 19th and early 20th century, there was great interest in the Etruscan language, and linguists were eager to discover new and unpublished inscriptions. Ordinary objects were often inscribed with invented or copied inscriptions to increase their market value. The Norwegian linguist Alf Torp (1853-1916) was one of the scholars to be was tricked by clever forgers. Objects. On his travels to Italy in 1904, Torp bought a number of objects with fake Etruscan inscriptions, although several of the objects themselves are clearly genuine.

These pieces probably belong to two genuine Etruscan grave-markers, so-called cippi. The inscriptions, however, are forgeries. The letters are written in incorrectly and have been taken from another known inscription.

The incisions on the small piece of a polished stone slab shows the fish, a symbol for Jesus Christ. The Latin inscription, however, is clearly modern. It reads ‘from the Callistus-catacomb’ in Rome. The inscription may have been incised into a genuine object before it was sold, or the piece could be a modern forgery or tourist souvenir.

Photo: © The Museum of Cultural History

Photo: © The Museum of Cultural History

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