Doorways and thresholds were an important locus of power in Greco-Roman antiquity--but we might also think of them as an epigraphic opportunity. Inscriptions often preceded ancient doorways, just as tabulae (inscribed tablets) could demarcate the sacred boundaries of temples. Writing was and is a means of delineating and mapping space. Additionally, certain words could serve to set the tone for guests entering a household,... Continue Reading →
‘Let the Snorter Be Covered in Soot’: Ancient Board Game Inscriptions
☩ μὴ θεόμαχος νήων. ☩ ☩ ἀσβολόθη ὁ ῥονχάζων. ☩ Let the snorter / be covered in soot! [MAMA X, 330=PH 269278] Games of chance are never a silent endeavor; however, Romans found it rather uncouth to snort when Fortune was not on your side. A civil person kept their nose silent. There is a strong auditory... Continue Reading →
Either Urine or You’re Out: Epigraphy and Graveyard Etiquette
'Hic' inquis 'veto quisquam faxit oletum.' Pinge duos anguis 'pueri, sacer est locus, extra meiite.' Discedo. -- Persius, Sat. 1.112-114. You say, "I forbid anyone to take a shit here!" Paint two snakes. "Boys, this is a sacred place, piss outside." I depart. In Persius' Satires, the hallowed land upon which a tomb was built is used as a metaphor for the... Continue Reading →
Follow Me: Courtesan Sandals, Shoemakers, and Ephemeral Epigraphic Landscapes
One of the tough things about reconstructing epigraphic landscapes, is that so much of it is now gone. Whether it be graffiti, painted inscriptions, or just waxen etchings, most of the inscriptions that populated the ancient world are now lost. Today I want to explore just a bit of this ephemeral epigraphic landscape, and hopefully... Continue Reading →
Roman Gold Glass and the Epigraphy of Toasting in Antiquity
As I have long harped upon, there are many parts of antiquity that are, unfortunately, ephemeral. Unless a textual source tells us, we cannot know either what Augustus' voice was like when he addressed the people or the sound of Theodora's whispers in the ear of Justinian. We must rely on textual, epigraphical, and to some extent... Continue Reading →
Monograms and Inscribed Power
This past week, I listened to stellar papers at the ILAN conference held at NYU's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. One of my favorites was also the last: Fabian Stroth (Heidelberg) delved eloquently into the complex monograms on the capitals in Justinian's Hagia Sophia. I hadn't really thought very much about monograms generally,... Continue Reading →