Epigrafi, graffiti, scritture esposte. Una nota terminologica

The notion of ‘exposed writing’, based on Armando Petrucci’s reflection on monumental writing in the Middle Ages, is often considered synonymous to epigraphy and even to graffiti in scholarly literature. The paper challenges this assimilation, as a de-facto conceptual misuse, which has negative implications for the very understanding of the epigraphic phenomenon in the Middle Ages as a whole. More specifically, according to the author, such an approach precludes a full understanding of what most distinguishes medieval compared to ancient epigraphy, namely its tendency to free itself from the need for visibility and legibility, taking on meanings that transcend horizontal communication. If a cautious use of the term ‘exposed writing’ is advisable for inscriptions, it is even more so in reference to the field of graffiti.