Spätmittelalterliche Graffiti-Striche aus SwanetieN

Abstract

The paper discusses asyllabic graffiti found in Svaneti. The object of study is described as a series of parallel lines, drawn both interconnected and independently, scratched into the plastered surface of a church wall. Since these markings possess no intrinsic textual content and, moreover, the knowledge regarding the purpose of such a “writing” practice in the past has been lost, the explanation of this phenomenon relies entirely on the method of interpretation. The emergence of asyllabic graffiti in Svaneti is linked to the persistence of high demand for writing, even after the necessary conditions for its execution no longer existed. The common ground that must have driven the replacement of conventional writing with asyllabic graffiti is to be sought in the sacredness of the written text produced within the bosom of the church and in the performative nature of the corresponding actions. Like any other writing system, asyllabic graffiti must have had a multi-functional application. Among these, the use of asyllabic graffiti for “drawing up” legal acts and for prayer commemorations for souls can be corroborated with a high degree of probability.