The Epigraphy of Death


Book Description

Tombstones provide the largest single category of epigraphical evidence from the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome, and their inscriptions have been widely studied with reference to art and cultural history, ancient social history, prosopography and onomastics. But even though students of history and archaeology devote extensive attention to death and burial in antiquity, epigraphy - the study of inscriptions - remains, for many, an abstruse subject.




The Oxford Handbook of Roman Epigraphy


Book Description

The study of inscriptions is critical for anyone seeking to understand the Roman world, whether they regard themselves as literary scholars, historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, or religious scholars. The Oxford Handbook of Roman Epigraphy is the fullest collection of scholarship on the study and history of Latin epigraphy produced to date.




Ancient Jewish Epitaphs


Book Description

In this work the reader is introduced into the fascinating world of Jewish funerary epigraphy of the Hellenistic and Roman period. The information that can be gleaned about Jewish life and thought from more than 1000 tomb-inscriptions is presented here in a systematic way. Aspects covered include languages, forms, motifs, values, epithets, functions and professions, age at death, views on death and afterlife, and the role of women. Of special interest is a chapter dealing with the relevance of these epitaphs for the study of early Christianity. The monograph ends with a selection of inscriptions in their original language with translation and notes as well as an extensive bibliography, which is updated in this 2nd printing.




Death and Burial in the Roman World


Book Description

The most comprehensive book on Roman burial practices—now available in paperback Never before available in paperback, J. M. C. Toynbee's study is the most comprehensive book on Roman burial practices. Ranging throughout the Roman world from Rome to Pompeii, Britain to Jerusalem—Toynbee's book examines funeral practices from a wide variety of perspectives. First, Toynbee examines Roman beliefs about death and the afterlife, revealing that few Romans believed in the Elysian Fields of poetic invention. She then describes the rituals associated with burial and mourning: commemorative meals at the gravesite were common, with some tombs having built-in kitchens and rooms where family could stay overnight. Toynbee also includes descriptions of the layout and finances of cemeteries, the tomb types of both the rich and poor, and the types of grave markers and monuments as well as tomb furnishings.




Philippi, From Colonia Augusta to Communitas Christiana


Book Description

This book combines careful reading of texts, inscriptions, coins and other archaeological materials to examine how religious practice, material culture and urban landscape changed as Philippi developed from a Roman colony to a major center for Christian worship and pilgrimage.




Death, Society and Culture


Book Description

The end of the Roman rule and the rise of Christianity brought changes in long-held beliefs about death and commemoration, some of which were immortalised in stone. This study looks at monumental stone inscriptions, primarily Christian and Latin, in Late Antique and early medieval Spain and Gaul, as a means of providing insults into social, religious and cultural history. Placed within the context of Christian inscriptions in Italy, North Africa, the Balkans and Britain and Ireland, Mark Handley examines the production of inscriptions in Spain and Gaul, as well as their social dialogue on family history, gender, age and mortality. The use of inscriptions in revealing aspects of demography, for dating purposes, the commemoration of the cult of saints through epigraphy, and links with literacy, are also explored.




From Document to History


Book Description

In From Document to History: Epigraphic Insights into the Greco-Roman World, editors Carlos Noreña and Nikolaos Papazarkadas gather together an exciting set of original studies on Greek and Roman epigraphy, first presented at the Second North American Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy (Berkeley 2016). Chapters range chronologically from the sixth century BCE to the fifth century CE, and geographically from Egypt and Asia Minor to the west European continent and British isles. Key themes include Greek and Roman epigraphies of time, space, and public display, with texts featuring individuals and social groups ranging from Roman emperors, imperial elites, and artists to gladiators, immigrants, laborers, and slaves. Several papers highlight the new technologies that are transforming our understanding of ancient inscriptions, and a number of major new texts are published here for the first time.




Entombed Epigraphy and Commemorative Culture in Early Medieval China


Book Description

In Entombed Epigraphy and Commemorative Culture Timothy M. Davis presents a history of early muzhiming—the most versatile and persistent commemorative form employed in the elite burials of pre-modern China. While previous scholars have largely overlooked the contemporary religious, social, and cultural functions of these epigraphic objects, this study directly addresses these areas of concern, answering such basic questions as: Why were muzhiming buried in tombs? What distinguishes commemorative biography from dynastic history biography? And why did muzhiming develop into an essential commemorative genre esteemed by the upper classes? Furthermore, this study reveals how aspiring families used muzhiming to satisfy their obligations to deceased ancestors, establish a multi-generational sense of corporate identity, and strengthen their claims to elite status.




Janaab' Pakal of Palenque


Book Description

Excavations of Maya burial vaults at Palenque, Mexico, half a century ago revealed what was then the most extraordinary tomb finding of the pre-Columbian world; its discovery has been crucial to an understanding of the dynastic history and ideology of the ancient Maya. This volume communicates the broad scope of applied interdisciplinary research conducted on the Pakal remains to provide answers to old disputes over the accuracy of both skeletal and epigraphic studies, along with new questions in the field of Maya dynastic research. A benchmark in biological anthropology that presents an updated study of a well-known personage, the volume also offers innovative approaches to the biocultural and interdisciplinary re-creation of Maya dynastic history.




An Introduction to Greek Epigraphy of the Hellenistic and Roman Periods from Alexander the Great Down to the Reign of Constantine (323 B.C.-A.D. 337)


Book Description

" In short, this is a reference work of the best kind. For the beginner, it is indispensable. And for those who already know something about its subject matter, the book is in many ways useful, informative, and interesting. We all owe a debt to the author] for undertaking this significant project, and for completing it so well." - Michael Peachin, Classical World " . . . provides invaluable road maps for non-epigraphers faced with passages of inscribed Greek." - Graham Shipley, Bryn Mawr Classical Review Greek inscriptions form a valuable resource for the study of all aspects of the Greco-Roman world. They are primary witnesses to society's laws and institutions, religious habits, and language. This volume provides students with the tools to take advantage of the historical value of these treasures. It examines letter forms, ancient names, and ancient calendars, knowledge of which is essential in reading inscriptions of all kinds. B. H. McLean discusses the classification of inscriptions into their various categories and analyzes particular types of inscriptions, including decrees, honorary inscriptions, dedications, funerary inscriptions, and manumissions. Finally, McLean includes special topics that bear upon the interpretation of specific features of inscriptions, such as Greek and Roman administrative titles and functions.