Between Written and Visual Communication: CIDOC CRM Ontology for Medieval and Early Modern European Graffiti

The development of graffiti studies during the last couple decades highlighted relevance and potential as a complementary source for understanding different aspects past societies. Moreover, availability digital documentation techniques crucially increased data production, showing widespread presence in Medieval Early Modern contexts across Europe. However, approach to historical has not been yet structured. Guidelines, specific analytical tools, descriptors are still missing due various reasons. First, multiform multimodal graphic expression, so texts, signs, images must be considered together despite their communicative nature. Secondly, variety forms contents, have studied from many perspectives – e.g., epigraphy, palaeography, history, art maritime studies- following interests each scholar. Consequently, numerous extensive contributions concerning highlight lack shared standards approaches, hindering analysis interoperability. panorama emerging is fragmentary unstructured. This paper, thus, aims offer first step towards methodology study European graffiti. Precisely, ontology adopting CIDOC CRM will presented, developed preliminary form within DIGIGRAF project with support ARIADNEplus network.