Bucci, Ilaria (2024) Scratching the surface: a comprehensive analysis of the graffiti from Hatra in northern Iraq. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.
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Abstract
The present study focusses on the extensive graffiti from ancient Hatra, Northern Iraq (2nd-3rd century CE). Ranging from small scratches onto the plastered walls of domestic residences to carved texts on the stone walls of the city gates and painted dedications on temple architecture, graffiti give us unique insights into the city’s life. Despite being discovered in number at several locations throughout the settlement, they have long been overlooked in favour of more monumental, architectural, sculptural, and epigraphical evidence. Previous approaches to these artefacts have discriminated them on the basis of typology and aesthetics, applying a bias that has characterised most of the 19th–20th century scholarship on the topic. Common notions of vandalism and defacement of public property associated to contemporary graffiti have played an important role, shaping modern attitudes towards ancient objects, which were mistakenly considered as outcomes of the same phenomena. As a result, graffiti have rarely, if to any extent, been integrated in the studies on Hatra. This research subverts this perspective, carrying out a comprehensive analysis based mainly on the large archaeological archive of the Missione Archeologica Italiana a Hatra. The aim of this work is to reintegrate these markings among the sources on the site and gain a deeper understanding of their cultural and historical significance.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | The copyright of this thesis rests with the author, who asserts his/her right to be known as such according to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. No dealing with the thesis contrary to the copyright or moral rights of the author is permitted. |
| Depositing User: | Acquisitions And Metadata |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Oct 2024 16:27 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Oct 2024 19:38 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/54362 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.18743/PUB.00054362 |
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