The art of forgery is very old and has been documented throughout history. Those who practiced it acquired such perfection in it that it sometimes became difficult even for an expert to detect whether their forged object was the real deal or fake. Most probably, forgery began with fake coins. In the early period in the absence of technology, silver and gold coins struck by the state mint were not perfect and easily could be forged after adulteration. When these fake coins circulated in the market on the same value as the real one, forgers benefited and earned wealth easily.
One of the examples of such fake coins is found during the period of Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq who was innovative and made a number of experiments which were quite new to his time. He decided to issue copper coins with state guarantee to be treated similarly to the value of silver and gold coins. It was difficult for the traders as well as customers to use them as equal in value to that of silver and gold coins. As the royal mint was not technically well-equipped, according to the contemporary historian Ziauddin Barani, the shop of every goldsmith started to mint fake coins. Consequently, the value of copper coins dropped so much that traders refused to accept them. At this juncture, the sultan decided to withdraw these coins and announced that those possessing them would be adequately compensated. According to Barani, there was a small mountain of fake coins in front of the palace after the announcement. Thus, the scheme failed because of forgery.
In the modern period when the demand of ancient artifacts increased, it became a common practice to make fake statues, weapons, pottery, and other implements. However, scientifically and technically, it is now possible to detect these forgeries.
There was a time when fake paintings of famous artists were sold in the market but this practice is now on the down and out because lesser-known artists now sell the copies of better and more reputed artists, which are then bought by the people to decorate their home knowing that they are not real. The same is the case with historical antiquities whose copies are now available in the market or outside museums. This is not forgery.
Not only were arts and artifacts forged but there was a widespread trend of forging documents, treaties, letters, diaries, and personal papers. One of the significant examples of such forgery is the document known as ‘the Donation of Constantine’ .This document was attributed to the Roman emperor Constantine, who converted to Christianity. It was propagated by Popes that the emperor authorised the Pope to rule over the western part of the empire. In the 16th century, a philologist scholar got the opportunity to study it in the Vatican library and found that the document was not genuine. His conclusion was on the basis of its language which was not of Constantine’s period but of the 8th century. This disclosure broke the myth which was accepted without any doubt. Thus, this set history and historical records straight.
It is now well-known that the British parliament changed the reports of diplomats to justify their foreign policy. When the British agent Alexander Brunce sent his reports from Afghanistan during the first Afghan war, they were changed and misreported to the parliament.
Those who excelled in the art of forgery did not deter from even writing fake books. Although the Emperor Jahangir wrote his own autobiography, even then someone had written a fake one in the name of the emperor. Historians found it was fake but used it as a source on the ground that it was written in the time of Jahangir’s rule and valuable historical information was contained in it. This fake has now been translated into English as well and is considered a historical document along with the original.
The tradition of forgery has continued in the modern period. Some years ago, somebody claimed in Germany that he had found Hitler’s diaries. The news of this finding was so sensational that a leading magazine immediately purchased the rights of publication after heavy payment. After publishing a few installments, experts found that the paper, ink and style of writing betrayed the fact that the diaries were not genuine. The forger was prosecuted and punished.
Inspired by the discovery of Hitler’s diaries, Pakistani bureaucrats, to please Zia-ul-Haq, discovered the diary of Quaid Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in which it was advised that presidential system is suitable to Pakistan. However, the plan soon collapsed when Khurshid, the former private secretary of the Quaid, announced that he did not write such a diary.
The diary of Ann Frank is very famous and is considered by WW II sufferers to be a canonical text documenting what many people went through. However, some experts have expressed their doubt about its genuineness. It is pointed out that it was written by a ball point which was not invented at that time. However, forged or real, it is used politically by vested interests.
Interestingly, there was another kind of forgery common throughout history too: that was when some imposter claimed to be a prince, claimant to the throne, or inheritor of some property. So, forgery wasn’t restricted to just on one field and no area of life was free from it from its variegated aspects. Apart from being an interesting fact of history, it is more than anything a showcase of the ‘innovative’ nature of men.
The writer is one of the pioneers of alternate history in the country.
