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Inscriptions and beyond

CC by on Jul 2, 2015

Honorific inscriptions to Roman emperors use standard formulae to praise the virtues of a good ruler. This is particularly true[...]

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How many lives could an inscription live?

CC by on Jun 16, 2015

When we think of ancient inscriptions we instinctively associate them with the idea of a message engraved in stone meant[...]

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A Silver Statue and a Golden Mouth

CC by on Jun 12, 2015

A statue base with two inscriptions carved on opposite sides, one in Greek, one in Latin, stands in the courtyard[...]

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1 fragmentary epigraph, 1 anonymous relief fragment, and 2 gods

CC by on Jun 10, 2015
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This is the story of a document and of many people. The document is a red stone in the vault of a small church in Sinsheim (Germany) that no one would look at really; to the expert eye of the epigraphist, however, even this apparently unimportant stone with a small cluster of scattered letters ("RIO / SION / L") is sufficient to raise intriguing questions and open up a window on the Ancient World.

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Herculanus, Auggustorum nostrorum verna

CC by on May 13, 2015

This is the story of Herculanus, an important imperial slave attested at Sarmizegetusa (the capital of Roman Dacia, today a[...]