Current Epigraphy
ISSN: 1754-0909

Simon Corcoran writes:

A second copy of the letter of Licinius on military privileges, previously known from the Brigetio Tablet (dated 10 June 311), has been identified on a bronze tablet in a Bulgarian private collection.

He provides a link to the Volterra Projet’s page with transcription and further details (including information about a forthcoming full publication from Luca Fezzi):

• Simon J. Corcoran, “The New Copy of the Licinius Letter,” Projet Volterra, 24 April 2008.

Archaeology in Europe and rogueclassicism both alerted us to David Ottewell’s piece in the Manchester Evening News (10 April 2008) concerning an inscribed altar — tentatively dated to the late 1st century AD — found in Manchester. An image of the inscribed face of the altar is included.

David Meadows notes a report in Marsalace (“Ritrovata un epigrafe in lingua latina nel parco archeologico di Capo Boeo: ieri la presentazione al Baglio Anselmi”, 27 March 2008) regarding the discovery of a Latin inscription to Hercules, likely to have originated in a temple but discovered in conditions of reuse in Marsala (ancient Lilybaeum = BAtlas 47 A3).

CurEp readers with more information on this find, the content of the text, or photos are encouraged to post details or links in a comment.

Wendy Watkins writes to alert us to the following:

Our College of Humanities people have our new web site up and running.  It is now at www.epigraphy.osu.edu.  All the info is there, but some changes will need to be made.

The old site at omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu/epigraphy is no longer functional, and HTTP redirects have evidently not been put in place to forward traffic to the new site.

Readers will have noticed the recent addition of a new author at CurEp, Gil Renberg. Gil has brought with him the idea of a refinement to one of our core functions: the distribution of notices about new publications.

Every epigraphist is familiar with the scenario: a note from a colleague or a reference in a footnote or one of the annual bibliographies alerts us to an inscription we’d like to check for one reason or another.  Our local library doesn’t have the publication, so we must have recourse to interlibrary loan or even a trip to another library. More often than we would like, the reference publication turns out to be very rare; perhaps it is not even held by a single library on the epigraphist’s continent!

Our goal is to help rectify this problem by inviting epigraphists like Gil (whose research is bringing them into contact with the problem) and classics and history librarians (who make acquisition decisions at the local level) to join the CurEp community and work together to identify problematic works and enhance their library availability and preservation. The editors encourage both existing CurEp authors — and interested parties who would like to join their ranks — to review our new guidance on posting publications notices and join us in achieving this goal.

Readers (epigraphists and librarians alike) will find the following thematic lists and associated web feeds a convenient way to review and monitor such posts:

• publications (feed)
• rare publications (feed)

Some seminars of possible interest to epigraphers for the coming term.

Cambridge Epigraphic Saturday

Organised by Joyce Reynolds
Saturday 16th February from 10:30
participants will include Professor Werner Eck

University of Durham

Wednesday 30 January, 5.30pm [Ritson room]
Dr Margherita Facella (University of Pisa)
Jupiter Dolichenus at home: news from the archaeological excavations at Dülük Baba Tepesi

Wednesday 6 February, 5.30pm [Ritson room]
Professor Tony Birley (Vindolanda & Durham)
Religion at Vindolanda

Saturday 3 May 2008
Epigraphy Society Spring Meeting
Programme tba

University of Wales Lampeter

Thursday 17 January @ 6pm (Burgess Lecture Room)
Peter Liddel (Manchester)
‘The decree-cultures of ancient Greece’

New addition:

University of Liverpool

5 February EPIGRAPHY NORTH
Prof. M. H. Crawford
‘Languages, geographies and economies of early Italy’

15 April EPIGRAPHY NORTH
Prof. O. van Nijf
Tbc

Denis Rousset has drawn our attention to the republication of 15 issues of Bulletin épigraphique 1987-2001 in four volumes:

Je vous signale la parution en 4 volumes aux éditions Les Belles Lettres de la réimpression des 15 livraisons du Bulletin épigraphique.

1987-1989

1990-1993

1994-1997

1998-2001

En espérant que ces volumes paraîtront utiles et seront largement achetés par les bibliothèques je vous envoie mes salutations cordiales,

Denis Rousset
Member of the School of Historical Studies 2007-08
Institute for Advanced Study
Einstein Drive
NJ 08540 Princeton

Directeur d’études à l’École pratique des hautes études
Épigraphie grecque et géographie historique du monde hellénique
http://www2.ephe.sorbonne.fr/enseignants/4rousset.htm

Tiempo de Historia reports that the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano in Mérida (formerly Augusta Emerita, provincial capital of Lusitania) will host a conference on City and Forum in Roman Lusitania. The programme includes papers with epigraphic content.

Full programme

Del 13 al 15 de diciembre de 2007 se celebra en el Museo Nacional de Arte Romano, en Mérida (Badajoz) un coloquio internacional titulado Ciudad y foro en la Lusitania romana, organizado por dicho museo, adscrito a la Dirección General de Bellas Artes y Bienes Culturales del Ministerio de Cultura. En este encuentro se analiza el proceso de monumentalización de la Lusitania romana, que “viene siendo en los últimos años objeto de atención de numerosos investigadores que, desde diversas ópticas, han analizado aspectos distintos pero complementarios”. A las Mesas Internacionales de Lusitania, la última celebrada con gran éxito el pasado noviembre en la Universidad de Toulouse, se han venido a unir la serie Studia Lusitana, ya en su III volumen, y monografías auspiciadas por centros luso-españoles de distinta titularidad, que van cubriendo una laguna en la oferta bibliográfica internacional. Este encuentro pretende ser “una puesta al día de los avances que la arqueología urbana nos ha deparado, especialmente en algunos importantes núcleos urbanos luso-españoles. Esta actualización será una útil herramienta de consulta y reflexión, que se verá recogida en su correspondiente monografía dentro de la citada serie Studia Lusitana”.

Según informó el Ministerio de Cultura, “A lo largo de tres densas jornadas se debatirán, procurando tocar todos los temas involucrados en el proceso de monumentalización forense, los ejemplos mejor conocidos.
Animamos a todos los estudiantes, investigadores o simples interesados en este tema a participar de estas jornadas en el Museo Nacional de Arte Romano, que se verán complementadas por los debates y visitas complementarias. Están solicitados créditos para los alumnos de la Universidad de Extremadura y de la UNED, que se convalidarán según las normas de cada universidad”.

I was wondering if I could tap the collective help of the denizens of Current Epigraphy to read the photograph of a late-era inscription that my colleague Andrea De Giorgi will soon publish in Anatolica as a part of an article detailing a survey of Antioch’s territory. The inscription was spotted in Yeni Şehir (ancient Imma), which is a village that sits on the Antioch-Chalcis-Beorea road about 55 km east of Antioch. It was last seen in 1999 and this photograph is its only known record at this point.

I’ve got a preliminary text, but significant parts of the third and fifth lines have me stumped.

Here are the latest annoucements from ASGLE that may be of interest to the readers of Current Epigraphy:

-CALL FOR PAPERS for the 2009 ASGLE Panel, Joint APA/AIA Meetings, Philadelphia, PA January 8-11: The Publication and Study of Inscriptions in the Age of the Computer, Paul Iversen and Tom Elliott, Organizers. The deadline for abstracts is Feburary 1, 2008. For more information, go here (and scroll down to the bottom).

-ASGLE has some money for Research Awards. These awards consist in travel money for a student working on an epigraphical dissertation to visit a collection somewhere. Send in your nominations to Paul Iversen. All recipients will be required to write up a report of their visit.

-The Ohio State University Center for Epigraphical and Palaeographical Studies once again offers short-term fellowships (of one to four months duration) to support visitors pursuing post-doctoral research in Greek and Latin history and epigraphy. The fellowships pay for travel to and from Columbus and a living expense of $1,500 per month; they must be taken up between September 2008 and May 2009. The application deadline is January 31, 2008. For more information, go here.

-The University of Cincinnati Classics Department is pleased to announce the Margo Tytus Visiting Scholars Program, which consists in Margo Tytus Fellowships and Margo Tytus Summer Residencies. The deadline for Margo Tytus Fellowships is January 15, 2008. For more information about the Fellowships and an on-line application, see here. The deadline for Margo Tytus Summer Residencies is February 15, 2008. For information about the Summer Residencies and an on-line application, see here.

-Paul Roesch’s† Les Inscriptions de Thespies (IThesp). When Paul Roesch, who was the Director of Research of CNRS, passed away in 1990, he left unfinished one of his major projects, Les Inscriptions de Thespies — a corpus of Thespian inscriptions. Since 2000 Gilbert Argoud, Albert Schachter and Guy Vottéro have collaborated to publish Roesch’s opus, using the manuscripts, squeezes and photos of Roesch that were deposited in the Maison de l’Orient de Lyon, Université Lumière Lyon II. Albert Schachter is now pleased to report to ASGLE that all eight fascicules of the corpus are finished and he has made them available to be downloaded from the ASGLE website here.

-Albert Schachter also informs us that those interested in Boiotika can down-load current and back issues of Teiresias (to 1991) from the National Library of Canada’s website here. Those who wish to receive new issues (free) in a timely fashion via email can write Albert Schachter.

-Emily Mackil, Director of the Sara B. Aleshire Center for the Study of Greek Epigraphy at Berkeley, informs us that the Advisory Committee of the Center has seen major changes and the Center has updated its website here.

-Nora Dimitrova informs us that The Cornell X-Ray Fluorescence Project has an urgent need for stones to study, preferably inscriptions located in North American collections. The most suitable stones are ones with naturally abraded surfaces, but not with intentional erasures. They would greatly appreciate any information and help regarding sources of suitable stones. They will cover the cost of transportation and make sure that the stones are not damaged in any way. Send in information to Kevin Clinton or Nora Dimitrova.

It is with sadness that I pass on the unhappy news that Peter Fraser, Greek epigrapher and architect of the Lexicon of Greek Personal Names, died in the morning of Saturday 15 September.

His funeral will take place at Oxford Crematorium next week; I shall pass on further details as I learn them (see comment).

Julia Shear (University of Glasgow), “Herakleitos of Athmonon, Antigonos Gonatas, and the Panathenaia”, discussed the Athenian decree honouring Herakleitos of Athmonon, IG II(2) 677 (early 250’s BC). She argued, not entirely convincingly, that while most Hellenistic kings were allowed to contribute gifts personally to the Panathenaia, Antigonos Gonatas was unable to do so at the time of this decree and thus had Herakleitos make a donation on his behalf. Since only citizens and allies of Athens were allowed to participate in the festival, it would seem that Antigonos did not have such a status until ca. 255 BC, at which time he was granted citizenship according to Shear (using the evidence of I. Rhamnous 7.2-10 and IG II(2) 793.8-11, both decrees honouring Antigonos).

Delphine Ackermann (Université de Neuchâtel) presented a paper entitled “Le règlement religieux d’Aixonè: quelques réflections sur l’organisation du culte et le panthéon d’un dème de l’Attique”, a preliminary version of a new edition that will be included as an appendix in her dissertation on the deme of Aixone. The fascinating sacred law from Aixone (mod. Glyphada) has most recently been edited, with new fragments, by G. Steinhauer “Hieros Nomos Aixoneon”, in A.P. Matthaiou and G.E. Malochou (eds.) Attikai Epigraphai: Praktika Symposiou eis mnemen Adolf Wilhelm (1864-1950), Athens 2004, 155-173. Ackermann offered a synopsis of the various offerings to numerous deities which are catalogued in this sacred law and convincingly argued that this variety demonstrates that the inscription is a deme document, almost certainly from Aixone itself, and not the product of a phratry or genos, groups which had narrower pantheons. She proposed a few new interpretations of the context of the inscription, most notably, that the 5 drachmai allotted to each priest and priestess cannot be considered a sacrificial tariff since the amount largely exceeds all other known tariffs, and that this amount must instead be thought of as a ‘base salary’ for the priests (similarly the sum of 3 drachmai, which is granted in some cases for the sacrifice of a heuston teleon, would have been a supplement to this base salary).

Marietta Horster (Humboldt University, Berlin) in a paper entitled “(Self-)Representation of Priests and Priestesses in Fourth-Century Athens” catalogued the public recognition of priests and priestesses: known decrees honour almost exclusively foreigners in the fourth century. She also surveyed the evidence for private representation: votive offerings and funerary momuments, which were set up by Athenian priests and priestesses, not foreigners, but very few of them issue from a known cultic family or gene. Further implications of these findings remained unclear for the time being.

Catherine Keesling (George Washington University) delivered a very interesting paper entitled “Syeris, Diakonos of the Priestess Lysimache on the Athenian Acropolis (IG II[2] 3464)”. Through detailed comparison with other examples, she clearly demonstrated that this inscription must be a pillar type A base for a statue (using Raubitschek’s classification), with the capital of the pillar base missing. This usefully accounts for the difference in letterforms found on the inscription which had confused some of the earlier editors: lines 1-4 could have been originally inscribed on the capital and then reinscribed in the 3rd century BC or later, after the loss of the capital. The remaining lines seem to date to the 4th century BC, as is also confirmed by comparing the sculptor of the statue, Nikomachos, with other signatures of the same name: IG II(2) 4274 (4th century) and IG II(2) 3038 (a choregic monument dated to 364/3). Keesling is thus able to convincingly conclude that the Syeris honoured in IG II(2) 3464 must have been the diakonos of the famous Lysimache, the long-serving priestess of Athena Polias (IG II2 3453), whom David Lewis identified as the inspiration for Lysistrata (Selected Papers in Greek and Near Eastern History, ed. P.J. Rhodes, Cambridge 1997, 187-202).

Marijana Ricl (University of Belgrade), in “Neokoroi in the Greek World”, outlined the function of these cultic officials as temple wardens and sometimes as replacements for priests, drawing on a large number of inscriptions. She argued that in most contexts the terms zakoros and neokoros seem to refer to the same function. Yet it was apparent that a more detailed study of neokoroi would need to compare and contrast these officials with neopoiai and other groups of cultic officials.

Beate Dignas (Somerville College, University of Oxford) surveyed a few inscriptions recording foundations of new cults in “How to Found a Cult: Epigraphic Manifestations”, notably F. Sokolowski, Lois sacrées des cités grecques 129 (Anaphe) and 180 (Paros). Many interesting issues raised by this paper remain to be developed further, such as the distinction between individual and public motivations for a foundation as well as the involvement of foreigners in founding new cults and enhancing local forms of religious practice.

A paper by Eran Lupu (George Washington University), “Of Priests and Snouts: The Snout as a Priestly Prerogative in Greek Cult Regulations”, was read in absentia by the author’s wife, Catherine Keesling. Snouts were considered a refreshingly entertaining subject by the Oxford audience, yet they are only seldom attested in sacred laws: F. Sokolowski, Lois sacrées d’Asie mineure 21.5-6 (Erythrai) and 54.4 (Didyma), and possibly Lois sacrées des cités grecques 151.B.20 (Kos) where the restoration is not certain. Lupu suggested that the uncertain mention of an akrokolion, ‘extremity’, in a fragmentary sacred law, I. Ephesos 1263, may refer to a snout, but Lois sacrées d’Asie mineure 54 shows that this could not have always been the case, since it distinguishes between akrokolia and snouts. Various literary sources collected in Athenaeus 3.48 demonstrate that snouts were prized delicacies.

Maria Paz de Hoz (University of Salamanca), in “Confession Inscriptions and Other Testimonies of Aretalogy in the Greek World”, discussed several inscriptions from G. Petzl, Die Beichtinschriften Weskleinasiens, EA 22 (1994), and from P. Herrmann and H. Malay, New Documents from Lydia, TAM 24 Suppl. (Vienna 2007). Classifying confession inscriptions as aretalogical texts, she stressed that the main aim of these inscriptions was to publicize the power of gods to punish human transgressions (dunamis), over and beyond any notion of benevolent divine power. In the case of the texts from Maionia in Lydia, she argued that the “receding economical power of the sanctuaries as well as the loss of influence [of these sanctuaries] on the community”–factors perhaps tied to the rise of Christianity–led priestly officials to foster the practice of erecting these inscriptions.

After an introduction by Patrick Bakker (Université de Laval, Québec), which gave a brief overview of this “old yet always new” subject, there were four speakers in this very diverse panel:

Filippo Canali de Rossi (Liceo Scientifico Talete, Rome) gave a paper entitled “Achaean Military Support for Rome: A New Interpretation”, with the aim of clarifying the dating of Moretti, ISE 60. This inscription records the support lended by Achaean cities during a Roman campaign led by Gnaius Domitius (Ahenobarbus) against the Galatians. There are two possible identifications of the leader of this expedition, the consuls of 192 BC and 122 BC respectively. Adducing the evidence of SIG(3) 606, which records a dedication by Achaean mercenaries of a statue of Attalos II at Pergamon ca. 190 BC as a result of a campaign in Lydia, Canali de Rossi presented the hypothesis that the two military expeditions were linked and that the earlier date of ca. 192 BC for ISE 60 must be preferred.

Jean-Christophe Couvenhes (Université de Tours) presented a preliminary report on his work in preparing a corpus of Greek inscriptions which mention troops devoted to civic and territorial defense in Attica: “Péripoloi, kryptoi et hypaithroi dans la défense de l’Attique: permanence civique, influence royale”. He outlined in some detail the historical development of these various groups, which succeeded one another: peripoloi and peripolarchoi (generally from the end of the 5th century to ca. 332/280 BC), kryptoi (‘covert’ units, 287-229 BC), and hypaithroi (non-garrisoned troops, from 229 to probably the end of the 1st century BC). The question of the influence that Hellenistic kings may have had on these developments was briefly raised.

Henri-Louis Fernoux (Université de Bourgogne, Dijon), in “Représentations et faits de guerre dans cités grecques d’Asie mineure à l’époque impérial à travers le témoignage de l’épigraphie”, offered an account of the evolution of warfare in Asia Minor during the centuries of Roman imperial peace. Local conflicts between neighbouring cities such as Nikaia and Nikomedeia, illustrated by sometimes rich epigraphical dossiers (cf. L. Robert, “La titulature de Nicée et de Nicomédie: la gloire et la haine,” HSCP 81, 1977, 1-39 = OMS VI, Paris 1989, 211-249), show that warfare took place mostly on a psychological and covert level, and that effective ‘faits de guerre’ were few and far between.

Eduard Rung (University of Kazan), in “Diplomacy of Classical Greece and the Inscriptions”, presented a general overview of the large number of inscribed treaties of alliance (symmachia) between Greek cities which date from the 5th and 4th centuries BC. He is preparing a new study of these inscriptions.

The first thematic panel of Monday included communications on diplomatic (Lambert) and political (Scafuro) practice and chronology (Tracy). Simone Follet, who was also scheduled to offer a communication, was unable to attend.

Stephen Lambert (Cardiff University), “The Shape of Athenian External Relations 352/1-322/1: the Perspective of the Inscribed Decrees”, offered an overview of trends and patterns in Athenian foreign policy during the third quarter of the third century BC, based on his work for the forthcoming fascicle of IG II³. He observed that, as expected, few treaties or decrees honouring cities survive from the period between the battle of Chaironeia and the Lamian war. This should not be taken to imply, however, that diplomatic activity itself had diminished; honorific decrees for individual foreigners testify to the contrary. From now on, there is an increasing emphasis on diplomacy through the mediation of individuals.

Stephen Tracy (ASCSA, Athens), “- -sinos, A New Archon of Athens”, presented an unpublished inscription from the Library of Hadrian (inv. no. BA 457), read and restored by Paraskevi Bardani. This ephebic catalogue’s main interest lies in the certain mention of a new third-century BC Athenian archon, whose name (in the genitive) ends in [—]σίνου (perhaps [Τελε]σίνου). Letter-type, parallels in the disposition of the catalogue, possible prosopographical connections and the few remaining gaps in the Athenian archon-list led the speaker to a tentative dating in the late 260’s.

Adele Scafuro (Brown University), “A Crown for the Asking: Athenian Requests to Honor Athenians, the Epigraphical Evidence: 337/6-279 B.C.”, dealt with requests by Athenian citizens for honours, especially in the context of an office they held. First, she examined the relative terminology (paralleled by the one used for verbal reports in front of the Council or the Assembly). Then, she focussed on procedure, especially in cases where honours were voted before the honorand’s service was concluded. She argued that the procedure was simpler than previously assumed: the honorand went through the euthyna after his term of office and was only then allowed to have the decree in his honour inscribed; since the document he had in his possession was the original one, voted before his service was concluded, the inscribed text still includes the –now irrelevant– phrase “… after he goes through the euthyna”. Finally, the speaker tentatively suggested that Clinton, I. Eleusis n^o 95 (IG II² 1191), a text problematic in several details, includes the honorand’s request for honours.