In today's culture, graffiti is considered by most a criminal art defacing other's property. However, when we look back to a culture and time much different than ours, we see that graffiti was used when paper was scarce. Medieval historians find it fortunate that some of this art is still available for our viewing and research, giving us a better understanding of the life and times, in which, they lived.
This brings up an interesting question. Will our modern day graffiti be looked on differently a couple hundred years from now? Unfortunately we will never know and can only speculate; however, these historians seem to take the view that spray paint on buildings, bridges, and benches does not have the same significance as that of the Medieval Period.
Cross find may be medieval graffiti
Herald, the; Glasgow UK Jul 29, 2010
Although we can give approximations for the graffiti that is found, historians can only make educated guesses as to when and why people create graffiti. A cross found in Fife is thought to be religious graffiti carved into a stone by a pilgrim on a pilgrimage to Dunfermline Abbey. The area where the presumed medieval graffiti was found was a popular route among pilgrims because it ran by the grave site of Saint Margaret in Dunfermline . This is the leading factor that seems to influence the time frame and translation of the graffiti.
Hundreds of years after the stone is said to have been carved, it was used in the structure of a farm wall. This cross marking was then discovered by a Dunfermline tourist guide three centuries after it was built into the wall. We are now able to share in the discovery of this art, which is said to be medieval holy graffiti.
Historian Examines Medieval Graffiti at IMC
http://www.medievalists.net/2010/07/14/historian-examines-medieval-grafitti-at-imc
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