Questo è l'ultimo dei miei articoli al riguardo del tema dei falsi (a meno che non succeda qualche cosa di eccezionalmente meritevole di nota: ma certamente non lo auspico) . Lo ho trovato su due pagine differenti di Wiki e sembrandomi abbastanza completo e conclusivo, lo ho copiato e postato. Lo lascio in Inglese, tanto elenca e compendia molti temi che ho già trattato per esteso ed in dettaglio in passato.
Outline of forgery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Forgery – process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive.
Motivations
Most archaeological forgeries are made for reasons similar to art forgeries – for financial gain. The monetary value of an item that is thought to be thousands of years old is higher than if the item were sold as a souvenir.
However, archaeological or paleontological forgers may have other motives; they may try to manufacture proof for their point of view or favorite theory (or against a point of view/theory they dislike), or to gain increased fame and prestige for themselves. If the intention is to create "proof" for religious history, it is pious fraud.
Types of forgery
· Black propaganda — false information and material that purports to be from a source on one side of a conflict, but is actually from the opposing side
· Counterfeit money — types of counterfeit coin include the cliché forgery, the fourrée and the slug
· Musical forgery — music allegedly written by composers of past eras, but actually composed later by someone else
Legality of forgery
United Kingdom
International
Related offences
· Phishing — impersonating a reputable organization via electronic media, which often involves creating a replica of a trustworthy website
Detection and prevention of forgery
Anti-counterfeiting agencies and organisations
· Applied DNA Sciences — an American company that develops DNA-based technology to help identify counterfeit goods
· Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group — an international group of central banks that investigates emerging threats to the security of banknotes
· International Federation of Spirits Producers — the trade association for the worldwide spirit industry's protection against counterfeit produce
· United States Secret Service — the agency responsible for the prevention and investigation of counterfeit U.S. currency
· Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributors — a program that offers an accreditation to wholesale pharmaceutical distribution facilities
Tools and techniques
· Counterfeit banknote detection pen — uses an iodine-based ink that reacts with the starch found in counterfeit banknotes
· EURion constellation — a pattern of symbols incorporated into banknote designs, which can be detected by imaging software
· Geometric lathe — a 19th-century lathe used for making ornamental patterns on the plates used in printing bank notes and stamps
· Microprinting - very small text hidden on banknotes or cheques, that is difficult to accurately reproduce
· Optically variable ink — ink that appears to change colour depending on the angle it is viewed from
· Philatelic expertisation — the process whereby an expert is asked to give an opinion whether a philatelic item is genuine
· Questioned document examination — a forensic science discipline that attempts to answer questions about disputed documents
· Security printing — the field of the printing industry that deals with the printing of items such as banknotes and identity documents
· Security thread — a thin ribbon threaded through a banknote, that appears as a solid line when held up to the light
· Watermark — a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness when viewed
Examples of forgery
Archaeological forgery
· Acámbaro figures — over 32,000 ceramic figurines which appear to provide evidence for the co-existence of dinosaurs and humans
· Archaeoraptor — the supposed "missing link" between birds and terapod dinosaurs; actually constructed by rearranging pieces of genuine fossils
· Brandenburg stone — a stone slab bearing markings which appear to be letters of an unknown alphabet
· Calaveras Skull — a human skull that was thought to prove the existence of Pliocene-age man in North America
· Crystal skull — a series of artifacts crafted from quartz, often attributed to Aztec or Mayan civilisations
· Drake's Plate of Brass — supposedly a brass plaque planted by Francis Drake upon arrival in America, but really a practical joke that span out of control
· Grave Creek Stone — a small sandstone disk inscribed with twenty-five pseudo-alphabetical characters
· Japanese Paleolithic hoax — a number of paeolithic finds manufactured by amateur archaeologist Shinichi Fujimura to bolster his reputation
· Kafkania pebble — a small rounded pebble bearing what could be an early example of Greek syllabic writing
· Kinderhook plates — six bell-shaped pieces of brass with strange engravings; Latter-Day Saints founder Joseph Smith allegedly attempted to translate them
· Lead Books of Sacromonte — a series of texts inscribed on circular lead leaves, denounced as heretical forgeries by the Vatican in 1682; modern scholars concur with this analysis
· Michigan relics — artifacts that appear to prove that East Europeans lived in Michigan in ancient times; actually a money-making scam
· The inscription at Pedra da Gávea — allegedly carved by Phoenicians, who were not thought to have had the naval capacity to travel across the ocean to Brazil
· Persian Princess — the mummified body of a "Persian princess"; actually the corpse of a woman who was murdered around 1996
· Piltdown Man — the jaw of an orangutan attached to the skull of a human, hailed as the missing link between humans and apes
· Solid Muldoon — a "petrified human" made out of mortar, rock dust, clay, plaster, ground bones, blood and meat
· Spirit Pond runestones — small stones bearing runic inscriptions, ostensibly of pre-Columbian origin
· Tiara of Saitaferne — a tiara exhibited at the Louvre Museum as belonging to a Scythian king, until this statement was disputed by the goldsmith who created it
Art forgery
· Amarna Princess — a statue created by Shaun Greenhalgh in the ancient Egyptian style, and sold to Bolton Museum for £439,767
· Bust of Flora — a bust of the Roman goddess Flora, previously believed to be a work by Leonardo da Vinci, now attributed to Richard Cockle Lucas.
· Eadred Reliquary — a silver vessel created by Shaun Greenhalgh, containing a piece of wood which he claimed was a fragment of the True Cross
· Etruscan terracotta warriors — three terracotta warriors created by Italian forgers and sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
· Michelangelo's Cupid — a sleeping Cupid sculpture that was created, artificially aged and sold by Renaissance artist Michelangelo
· Risley Park Lanx — the replica of a genuine Roman artifact, "discovered" by the Greenhalgh family and put on display at the British Museum
· Rospigliosi Cup — a gold and enamel cup thought to have been crafted by Italian goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini, but now considered a 19th-century forgery
· The works of the Spanish Forger — an unidentified 19th-century artist who created over 200 medieval miniatures, which are still highly valued by collectors
Black propaganda
· The Franklin Prophecy — an anti-Semitic speech falsely attributed to Benjamin Franklin, arguing against the admittance of Jewish immigrants to the newly formed United States
· Morey letter — a letter published during the 1880 US presidential elections, suggesting that James A. Garfield was in favour of Chinese immigration
· Our Race Will Rule Undisputed Over The World — a speech given by the non-existent Rabbi Emanuel Rabinovich, outlining Jewish plans for world domination
· A Protocol of 1919 — a document supposedly found among the belongings of a Jew killed in battle, outlining Jewish plans for world domination
· The Protocols of the Elders of Zion — a lengthy text, originating in Russia and widely publicised by the Nazi party, outlining Jewish plans for world domination
· A Radical Program for the Twentieth Century — a text supposedly written by a British Jewish Communist, cited as proof that the civil rights movement in America was a foreign Communist plot
· Tanaka Memorial — an alleged Japanese strategic planning document, advising Emperor Hirohito on how to conquer the world
Counterfeiting
· 2012 Pakistan fake medicine crisis — a batch of counterfeit medicine that killed over 100 heart patients at a hospital in Punjab
· Operation Bernhard — a Nazi plot to destabilise the British economy by dropping counterfeit notes out of aircraft
· Partnair Flight 394 — a chartered flight that crashed in 1989, killing all 55 people on board; it was caused by counterfeit aircraft parts
Forged documents
· Canuck letter — a letter implying that a Democratic presidential candidate was prejudiced against French-Canadians
· Casket letters — letters and sonnets supposedly written by Mary, Queen of Scots, implicating her in the murder of her husband
· Donation of Constantine — a decree issued by emperor Constantine I, granting authority over Rome and part of the Roman Empire to Pope Sylvester I and his successors
· Dossiers Secrets — documents, planted in the National Library of France, that were used as the basis for a series of BBC documentaries
· Larmenius Charter — a Latin manuscript listing twenty-two successive Grand Masters of the Knights Templar
· Lindsay pamphlet scandal — pamphlets distributed by the Australian Liberal Party, claiming an alliance between the Labor Party and an Islamic organisation
· Mustafa-letter — a letter used by Norway's Liberal Party to prove that the country was in danger of being overrun with Muslims
· Niger uranium forgeries — documents implying that Saddam Hussein had attempted to purchase yellowcake uranium powder, allegedly for the purpose of building weapons of mass destruction
· Privilegium Maius — a medieval manuscript apparently boosting the legitimacy and influence of the House of Habsburg
· Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals — letters and canons purportedly authored by early popes, including a collection authored by "Benedict Levita".
· William Lynch speech — a speech by an 18th-century slave owner, who claims to have discovered the secret of controlling slaves by pitting them against each other
· Zinoviev letter — a directive from Moscow to Britain's Communist Party, calling for intensified communist agitation; the letter contributed to the downfall of Prime Minister MacDonald
Literary forgery
· The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ — a religious text supposedly transcribed from the Akashic records
· The Archko Volume — a series of supposedly contemporary reports relating to the life and death of Jesus
· Autobiography of Howard Hughes — an "autobiography" of reclusive eccentric Howard Hughes, written without his knowledge or consent
· Christine — a compilation of letters purportedly written by an English girl studying in Germany in 1914, prior to the outbreak of war
· Chronicon of Pseudo-Dexter — a 15th-century account of the Church's activities in Spain, attributed to Flavius Dexter
· Historias de la Conquista del Mayab — a Mexican manuscript supposedly written by an 18th-century monk
· History of the Captivity in Babylon — an ostensibly Old Testament text elaborating on the Book of Jeremiah
· Hitler Diaries — a set of volumes purported to be the diaries of Adolf Hitler, serialised in the German magazine Stern and the British Sunday Times
· Ireland Shakespeare forgeries — forged correspondence between Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and a "lost play" entitled Vortigern and Rowena
· Jack the Ripper Diary — the forged diary of Victorian merchant James Maybrick, apparently revealing him to be Jack the Ripper
· Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend — a letter in support of Zionism, attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr.
· The Lost Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles — the "missing" 29th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles
· Memoirs Of Mr. Hempher, The British Spy To The Middle East — a document purporting to be the account of an 18th-century secret agent, describing his role in founding the Islamic reform movement of Wahhabism
· Manuscripts of Dvůr Králové and of Zelená Hora — fraudulent Slavic manuscripts created in the early 19th century
· Mussolini diaries — several forged diaries supposedly written by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
· My Sister and I — an apparently autobiographical work attributed to the philosopher Nietzsche, containing a probably fictional account of his incestuous relationship with his sister
· Ossianic poems — a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, attributed to the legendary Ossian
· Roxburghe Ballads — over a thousand 17th century ballads published by John Payne Collier, some of which he had written himself
· Salamander Letter — a document which offers an alternative account of Joseph Smith's finding of the Book of Mormon.
· Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses — a magical text supposedly written by Moses, providing instructions on how to perform the miracles portrayed in the Bible
· The Songs of Bilitis — a collection of erotic poetry allegedly found on the walls of a tomb in Cyprus
· Talmud Jmmanuel — a supposedly ancient Aramaic text suggesting an extraterrestrial origin for the Bible
· The Zohar — a primary text of medieval Kabbalah, written by a 16th-century Spanish Rabbi but attributed to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, an ancient sage of the Second Temple period
Musical forgery
Philatelic forgery
· Stock Exchange Forgery 1872-73 — a fraud perpetrated by telegraph clerks at the London Stock Exchange
· Turner Collection of Forgeries — a collection of forged postage stamps on display at the British Library
Forgery controversies
The authenticity of certain documents and artifacts has not yet been determined, and is still the subject of debate.
· Bat Creek inscription — an inscription on a stone allegedly found in a Native American burial mound
· Isleworth Mona Lisa — a close imitation of da Vinci's Mona Lisa, sometimes attributed in part to da Vinci
· James Ossuary — a chalk box used to contain the bones of the dead, bearing the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus"
· Jehoash Inscription — an inscription apparently confirming the Biblical account of the repairs made to the temple in Jerusalem by Jehoash
· Jordan Lead Codices — a series of ring-bound books of lead and copper, that are said to pre-date the writings of St. Paul
· Kensington Runestone — a slab of greywacke covered in Scandinavian runes, found in North America and supposedly carved in the 14th century
· Letter of Lentulus — an epistle allegedly written by a Roman Consul, giving a physical description of Jesus
· Majestic 12 documents — supposedly leaked papers relating to the formation, in 1947, of a secret committee of US officials to investigate the Roswell incident
· Mar Saba letter — an epistle, attributed to Clement of Alexandria, discussing the Secret Gospel of Mark
· The Memoirs of Naim Bey — a collection of telegrams indicating that the Armenian Genocide was formally implemented as Ottoman Empire policy
· Newark Holy Stones — a set of artifacts allegedly discovered among a group of ancient Indian burial grounds
· Old High German lullaby — a supposedly 10th century poem containing numerous references to Germanic mythology
· Prophecy of the Popes — a series of 112 short cryptic phrases which purport to predict future Roman Catholic Popes
· Shroud of Turin — a linen cloth that is said to be the burial shroud of Jesus, and bears the image of a man who appears to have suffered injuries consistent with crucifixion
· Sisson documents — sixty-eight Russian documents which claim that Trotsky and Lenin were German agents attempting to bring about Russia's withdrawal from World War I
· Stalin's alleged speech of 19 August 1939 — a speech supposedly given by Joseph Stalin in which he stated that the approaching war would benefit the Soviet Union
· Titulus Crucis — a piece of wood, ostensibly a fragment of the True Cross upon which Jesus was crucified
· US Army Field Manual 30-31B — a text purporting to be a classified appendix of a US Army Field Manual which describes top-secret counter-insurgency tactics
· Vinland map — an allegedly 15th century map of the world, which could be the earliest map to depict America (or "Vinland")
Some documents and artifacts were previously thought to be forgeries, but have subsequently been determined to be genuine.
· Glozel artifacts — over three thousand artifacts dating back to the Neolithic era, discovered in a small French hamlet
Notable forgers
Archaeological forgers
· Oded Golan (born 1951) — accused of forging the James Ossuary, among other things; he was acquitted of these charges in March 2012
Art forgers
· Shaun Greenhalgh (born 1961) — described by the Metropolitan Police as "the most diverse art forger known in history"
· Guy Hain
· Han van Meegeren (1889-1947) — estimated to have earned the equivalent of over thirty million dollars for his forgeries
Counterfeiters
· Bernhard Krüger (1904–1989) — director of the Nazi counterfeiting plot codenamed Operation Bernhard
· Salomon Smolianoff (1899-1976) — WWII concentration camp detainee and key figure in Operation Bernhard
Document forgers
Literary forgers
· Mark Hofmann (born 1954) — forger of several documents relating to the Latter Day Saint movement, including the Salamander letter
· William Henry Ireland (1775-1835) — author of the Ireland Shakespeare forgeries and the pseudepigraphical play Vortigern and Rowena
Musical forgers
Signature forgers
Stamp forgers
Media
· Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology — a book by Kenneth L. Feder on the topic of pseudoarcheology
External links
· Forgery and Fakes: Overview, Caslon Analytics.
· Sources of information on art forgery, Museum Security Network