Buildings archaeology and apotropaic motifs in elite mediaeval architecture
The use of ritual protection marks – pentagrams, compass-drawn circles, M and double-V symbols – have been widely debated in recent years but, with firm corroborative documentary evidence still absent from the record, the discipline of buildings archaeology may be able to add new perspectives to this discourse.
Using examples of ritual protection motifs from current research, a multidisciplinary approach demonstrates that informal apotropaic graffiti was part of a much wider architectural tradition – one that was rooted in the heart of all levels of mediaeval and early modern societies from tenant farmers to artisans to the aristocracy.
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