Il Fronte Scritto. Per un’epigrafia della Grande Guerra

Technical Information

More than a century after the end of the First World War, the fronts of that conflict, in particular the Italian-Austrian and Franco-German ones, are still rich in epigraphic testimonies left by the combatants and civilians involved. Finds that contribute to constituting a "written environment" of great suggestion and, above all, a source up to now little or no used for the study of the material culture of that event, the daily life of the soldiers, their feelings and their attitude in the face of death. From the most elaborate tombstones to the most basic graffiti engraved with a bayonet in fresh concrete, the epigraphs are still today among the most touching and evocative traces handed down to us by that terrible tragedy. And if in France and Belgium for many years they have been the object of study (and protection) by the archaeological and academic community, in Italy they are still left to the almost exclusive attention of willing and generous enthusiasts but not always in possession of the knowledge. and the methodologies necessary for a correct approach. With this volume, the result of years of research and dedicated mainly to the Italian front and the Dolomite front in particular, we want to indicate a new approach to this fascinating topic, trying to systematize the data available today, offering some reflections on the genesis of this phenomenon , on its cultural roots, on the techniques used for the realization of the artifacts, on the clients and, finally, to suggest new tools to those who want to dedicate themselves to the survey and study of the epigraphic finds of the Great War: a surprisingly rich and at the same time fragile heritage, for the inclemency of the past years and for the action of criminals who more and more often subtract these finds from their original location, for collecting or for profit. The operating and methodological methods proposed are those typical of archeology because only the tools offered by this discipline (of which epigraphy is a fundamental branch) allow us to fully understand these finds and to draw all possible information from them. The epigraph, also from the Great War, is in effect an archaeological find that must be analyzed in its historical and environmental context, in its relationship between text, support and the structure that houses it. The case studies proposed in the volume demonstrate how this new approach is able to give good and unexpected results.