Practice question · Multiple choice
Even once identified as an eighth-century forgery, what is the Donation excellent evidence of?
Hints
- A forgery is a genuine object from the moment of forging.
- What does someone forge, and why, and what must the fake resemble?
Show the answer
D. What was disputed, and what a claim had to look like
Why
It is a perfect primary source for the eighth century: what the papacy needed to claim, what it feared, and what its contemporaries would find plausible. The forgery is worthless as testimony about 315 and priceless as testimony about 750.
Practise Diplomatics and Forgery Detection
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More questions on Diplomatics and Forgery Detection
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