RELIGION IN PIECES
An Interdisciplinary Conference Sponsored by the Society for Ancient Mediterranean Religions
Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World
Brown University, April 27-29th, 2012

The quest to determine the contours and contents of ancient religion has always been a largely constructivist endeavor, subject to the exigencies of preservation. How do we, in our respective fields, approach the problem of fragmentary evidence? How do we construct such elusive categories as “belief” or “ritual” or “praxis” from an insufficient, scattered, or occasionally inscrutable base of primary source materials?

The Society for Ancient Mediterranean Religions seeks papers for a conference to be held at Brown University, April 27-29th 2012, on the topic, “Religion in Pieces.” In keeping with the society’s broad interests in religions of the Mediterranean basin over the great chronological expanse from prehistory to late antiquity, we seek contributions from scholars in the fields of Classics, Ancient History, Religious Studies, Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies, Egyptology, and Art History. We are particularly interested in papers that present case studies in reconstructing religious practice from fragmentary evidence, or which problematize or lay out the methodological challenges inherent in constructing religion from a paucity of sources. Relevant subfields include (but are not limited to) epigraphy, papyrology, codicology, archaeology, and textual studies of fragmentary or poorly attested sources; especially welcome are transdisciplinary papers which synthesize a variety of textual, archaeological, and art historical and/or material culture sources to reach new insights into ancient Mediterranean religions.

We invite abstracts from 250-500 words, accompanied by a Curriculum Vitae, to socamr@gmail.com. Deadline for submission is midnight of January 28thth, 2012. Participants will be contacted with an invitation to participate by the beginning of March, 2012.

Joaquín L. Gómez-Pantoja, Epigrafia anfiteatrale dell’Occidente Romano, VII: Baetica, Tarraconensis, Lusitania Vetera 17 (with the collaboration of Javier Garrido).   Rome:  Edizioni Quasar, 2009.  Pp. 313.  ISBN 9788871403779.  €47.00.

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2010/2010-11-15.html

“It has now been over twenty years since the first volume of the series Epigrafia anfiteatrale dell’Occidente Romano, hereafter EAOR, was published. The founding editor, Patrizia Sabbatini Tumolesi, was convinced that a systematic collection and re-examination of the epigraphic documentation needed to be done in order to investigate properly many fundamental and sometimes neglected aspects of gladiators and gladiatorial spectacles (cf. EAOR I, 7). The latest volume is devoted to the three provinces of the Iberian Peninsula: Tarraconensis, Baetica, and Lusitania. There are two main parts: the catalogue of inscriptions (35-201) and 16 synoptic tables followed by a general discussion (203-224). The volume is rounded up with detailed indices (225-270), a line-drawn map of the Peninsula (273), and 40 plates (274-313)….  Although virtually all the Spanish inscriptions had already been published elsewhere, Gómez-Pantoja has been able to examine personally most of them and to republish them all according to much more rigorous criteria than we could have expected from Hübner and the other pioneers of Hispanic epigraphy.”

Andrej Petrovic, Kommentar zu den simonideischen Versinschriften. Mnemosyne, bibliotheca classica Batava. Supplementum, 282.   Leiden/Boston:  Brill, 2007.  Pp. xv, 345.  ISBN 9789004151536.  $134.00.

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2010/2010-11-52.html

“Briefly, Petrovic’s book has many chapters that can be warmly recommended as sound basis for further research (e.g., 3-5) and everywhere displays learning and common sense. The commentary, especially on the epigraphical matters, constitutes a major upgrade of FGE, even though Page’s edition will continue to be the reference work.”

John F. Healey, Textbook of Syrian Semitic Inscriptions: IV. Aramaic Inscriptions and Documents of the Roman Period.   Oxford/New York:  Oxford University Press, 2009.  Pp. xvii, 369.  ISBN 9700199252565.  $150.00.

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2010/2010-12-07.html

“Den in den Jahren 1971 bis 1982 erschienen drei Bänden des Textbook of Syrian Semitic Inscriptions, in denen J.C.L. Gibson hebräische und moabitische, aramäische und phönizische Inschriften für die Wissenschaft und den akademischen Unterricht aufbereitet hatte, gesellt sich jetzt ein vierter Band mit aramäischen Inschriften und Dokumenten der römischen Zeit hinzu. Der Bearbeiter, John F. Healey, musste hierbei angesichts der Anzahl von über 10 000 Inschriften aus diesem Bereich eine repräsentative Auswahl der Quellen vornehmen. Dies ist ihm grundsätzlich gelungen, so dass er den Leserinnnen und Lesern des Bandes insgesamt 80 unterschiedliche Inschriften präsentieren kann. Im Unterschied zu den ersten drei Bänden des Textbook of Syrian Semitic Inscriptions, in denen nur Inschriften auf Stein, Ton und Metall geboten sind, werden von Healey jetzt auch Inschriften auf Pergament und Papyrus vorgestellt.”

Clarisse Prêtre, Philippe Charlier, Maladies humaines, thérapies divines: analyse épigraphique et paléopathologique de textes de guérison grecs. Archaiologia.   M. Villeneuve-d’Ascq:  Presses universitaires du Septentrion, 2009.  Pp. 192.  ISBN 9782757400029.  €22.00 (pb).

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2010/2010-12-29.html

“Maladies humaines, therapies divines is an epigraphic study of the medical rationale of the therapeutic procedures described in 23 Greek inscriptions starting from the early fourth century BCE Epidaurian iamata (IG IV^² 1,121, 5) and ending with a third century CE Epidaurian inscription (IG IV^² 1,127)….  The book’s main value lies in the commentaries Prêtre and Charlier offer for these inscriptions. In these commentaries they focus on the medical aspects of the inscriptions.”

Jorma Kaimio, The Cippus Inscriptions of Museo Nazionale di Tarquinia. Archeologica 154; Materiali del Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Tarquinia 18.   Roma:  Giorgio Bretschneider editore, 2010.  Pp. xii, 217.  ISBN 9788876892424.  €230.00 (pb).

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2010/2010-12-38.html

“This typological collection of Etruscan tomb inscriptions in the Museo Nazionale di Tarquinia includes 39 cippi that have not been published before, but it is much more than a catalogue. As Mario Torelli points out in his presentation, we are dealing with a valuable document concerning the city of Tarquinia in the II and I centuries BC, a society where Romanisation was far advanced and therefore was felt in both language and artistic expression….  The catalogue includes 13 Etruscan and 26 Latin inscriptions that had not be published before, in addition to 35 Etruscan and 33 Latin inscriptions previously published, all in the Museo Nazionale di Tarquinia although some have now disappeared. In addition, there is a catalogue of other cippi which have inscriptions related to Tarquinia. In total, there are 323 epigraphic titles.”

Andreas Kakoschke, Die Personennamen in der römischen Provinz Gallia Belgica. Alpha-Omega 255.   Hildesheim/Zürich/New York:  Olms-Weidmann, 2010.  Pp. 565.  ISBN 9783487143187.  €198.00.

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2010/2010-12-52.html

“Despite its title the book is in fact more than just a collection of personal names from the imperial province Gallia Belgica. It is rather a prosopography of persons who left (mainly epigraphic) traces in this region or are known (or supposed) to stem from there.”

Bérard, François, Denis Feissel, Nicolas Laubry, Pierre Petitmengin, Denis Rousset and Michel Sève. Guide de l’épigraphiste: bibliographie choisie des épigraphies antiques et médiévales. Quatrième édition entièrement refondue. Guides et inventaires bibliographiques 7. Paris: Éditions Rue d’Ulm / Presses de l’École normale supérieure, 2010. 448 p. € 30.00 (pb). ISBN 9782728804436.

For those of us in the U.S., what would be the best way of obtaining a copy? Thirty Euros is about $41, but Schonhof’s wants $72. (I am informed that this disparity should not be blamed on Schonhof’s.)

Rather oddly, the ENS press’s website still lists the old edition, so it seems this new one isn’t available for sale just yet.

Title: Ephemeris Napocensis
Published: Cluj
Language: Romanian
OCLC: 35818737
ISSN: 1220-5249

Five volumes of this journal published by the Istanbul museum now exist, but in the U.S. only two libraries carry it, and they only appear to have the first two volumes.  Apparently devoted to art and antiquities.
Title:  Palmet – Sadberk Hanım Müzesi Yıllığı
Publisher:  İstanbul: Sadberk Hanım Müzesi: 1997
OCLC:  46426349

This journal, which despite the title does run epigraphical articles, is not even in Worldcat (though two related book volumes are):
Title:  Kentron:  Revue du Monde antique et de psychologie historique
Publisher:  Presses universitaires de Caen
ISSN:  0765-0590
Webpage at which the table of contents for recent volumes are available (small, red link):  http://www.unicaen.fr/services/puc/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=58

Also, this appears to be an irregular monograph series.  Worldcat shows that the recent volumes that have proper book titles and editors/authors were picked up by libraries (vols. 5, 7), but the ones that simply bear the series title were not (vols. 3, 6).
Title:  Daidalos:  studi e ricerche del Dipartimento di Scienze del Mondo Antico
Publisher:  Viterbo Univ. degli Studi della Tuscia
Distributed by L’Erma di Bretschneider:  http://www.lerma.it/D_Editore.asp?ID=24517

Author: Witteyer, Marion
Title: Das Heiligtum für Isis und Mater Magna: Texte und Bilder
Published: Mainz am Rhein: Von Zabern: 2004
OCLC: 76510825
ISBN: 3805334370, 9783805334372

As with the books listed below, and others that we will start listing in this space as “Rare Publications,” it would be to our collective benefit for some of us to get our libraries to acquire such overlooked volumes.

CLARIFICATION:  If you poke around in Worldcat you will find other books by this author about the sanctuary, but these appear to be guides for tourists who visit the site, not the archaeological publication that includes an epigraphical section.

Available for purchase from Dr. Encarnação. Information is at http://www1.ci.uc.pt/iauc/pub/fe.html.

Author: Constantin C. Petolescu
Title: Inscripţii latine din Dacia (ILD)
Published: Bucuresti: Ed. Acad. Române: 2005
OCLC #: 162264466
ISBN #: 9732712260, 9789732712269