Latin Epigraphy
The Latin epigraphy is a science that has historical and archaeological object of study, repertorisation and translation of inscriptions latin antique engraved.
Summary |
Nature of Registration
The practice of listings during the ancient Rome , virtually nonexistent under the Republic, became widespread in the Empire. The inscriptions were carved in stone on many buildings, notifying their dedication ( titulus ). It is also found on pedestals of statues, on sarcophagi ( epitaph ) on steles, milestones or bronze tablets, bearing laws, which have reached us, the most famous is the Claudian table. A section of this area of study is devoted to the inscriptions of emperors and titulatures complex on parts of currencies. Many inscriptions were found over the centuries. They are held in collections as the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum. Each year new registrations are discovered by chance or during archaeological excavations. They are listed annually in the epigraphic Year.
Characteristic of Latin epigraphy
The study of ancient Latin inscriptions is faced with many problems. Often the media is damaged, worn or incomplete. The epigraphist must resort to techniques of stamping , photo light grazing, deductions learned, to reconstruct the text. Then, the form of writing Latin texts difficult to read. Indeed, the abbreviation and the ellipse were widely used, making the text airtight neophyte. In addition:
- the 'I' transcribed both the semi-vowel and vowel Y I. The 'J' introduced in the Middle Ages to indicate the semi-vowel is not the time to Latin;
- the 'V' transcribed both the semi-vowel W (pronounced in English) and his OR;
- Example: IVLIVS (Julius, Julius) was pronounced "youlious" and VENI (I came) was pronounced "Weni" :
- Examples: 'DM' stands for DIS manibus; F fili
- 'WHO VIXIT ANN XXX MX D III' to read THAT VIXIT annos XXX X DIES MENS III ("who lived thirty years, ten months and three days").
- 'TR PO' means tribunicia Potesta ( tribunician power ").
A text epigraphic
Dedication on the triumphal arch of Septimius Severus in Rome (203 AD.)
- Imp (Erator) Caes (ari) Septimio Lucio M (ARCI) fil (io) Seuero Pio Pertinace Aug (usto) and heritage patriae Parthico arabico | Parthico Adiabenico Pontifice (i) maximo tribunic (ia) potest (ate) XI imp (Erator ) XI, co (n) s (uli) III Proco (n) s (uli) and | imp (Erator) Caes (ari) M (arco) Aurelio L (ucii) fil (io) Antonino Aug (usto) Pio Felici tribunic (ia) potest (ate) VI co (n) s (uli) Proco (n) s (uli) The Imperial titulature explained
As an example, that of the titular Emperor Nero :
- IMP NERO CAESAR DIVI Avgvstvs CLAVDI F Germanica CAESARS CAESARS N TIB AVG DIVI AVG PRON ABN
- PONTIFF MAX TRIB Potest XII IMP X COS IIII PP
If we take the words one by one, it gives:
IMP: , as all the Roman emperors from Augustus. Previously, the imperator was a victorious general acclaimed by his troops. Since Nero, who was the first to do so, the word imperator replaces the name of the emperor after his accession to the empire.
NERO: cognomen of the people belongs to Claudia Nero
CAESAR: cognomen of the gens Julia, now in the reign of Tiberius the name of the imperial people
AUGUSTUS: title given to Octavian in 27 BC, and it gives its holder a sacred character and will be worn by all emperors
CLAUDI DIVI F: or the divine son Claude ; parentage was always listed among the Romans, by Nero, adopted by Claudius deified after his death, can be said of the divine son Claude
Germanica CAESARS N: Nero Germanicus was the nephew of Caesar, ie Caligula
TIB CAESARS AUG PRON: being the son (adopted) and Claude's nephew Caligula, Nero is also the great-grand-son of Tiberius
DIVI AUG ABN: great-great-grand-son of AugustusPONTIFF MAX: the highest priest of Rome was called the great pontiff. Since Julius Caesar who was Pontifex Maximus, and Augustus who was also, all the emperors were pundits.
TRIB Potest XII: that is to say, "clothed with the power tribune for the 12th time." The Roman emperors were holders of the power of ancient Tribunes of the plebs , which made them both sacred and inviolable (we could not lay a hand on them), and also closer to the people, at least symbolically. The power was tribunician annual, and has served as the years of the reign of the emperors.
IMP X: 10 times acclaimed by his troops
COS IIII: Consul for the fourth time, the consulate has persisted throughout the empire, and even after the fall of the Empire to Rome and Byzantium , of course, without ever having regained its former importance. The consulate was nevertheless a place of choice, highly sought after for its prestige and the opportunity it offered to become a then proconsul, the governor of a province.
PP: title awarded to all emperors from Augustus, with few exceptions.This time of year titulature 65-66.
Military Registration
CIL XIII, 8308 The Roman army has greatly diffused epigraphic practice in the empire and burned countless monuments dedications to gods, emperors, governors and legates, dedications of buildings and of course many tombstones of soldiers who find themselves from major centers stationed in the frontier provinces of the empire. Thus these inscriptions we learn about these troops and their movements, their recruitment (geographical and social origins of recruits), the daily lives of men and administrative practices of the Roman army.
The military uses a number of abbreviations that are specific, for example:
- STIP (endiorum): the number of years of service
- LEG (io)
- A sign similar to our 7 to Centurio rank of centurion.
- many degrees abbreviation: FOB Beneficiarius, CA custos armorum ...
- COH cohort and for AL to Ala, with the sign to denote units of a thousand men
Examples:
- Registration of Cologne , Germany today kept at lower Rmisch-Germanisches Museum :
Latin text: "T (ITVS) FLAVIVS BASSVS MVCALAE / F (iLive) Dansal, EQ (SIU) EALA NORI / CORV (m), TVR (mae) FABI (i) PVDENTIS, / YEAR (Norum) XXXXVI, STIP (endiorum ) XXVI, H (eres) F (aciendvm) C (vravit). "
That can be translated as: "T (itus) Flavius Bassus son of Mucala, Dansal, jumper from the wing of Noric, the turm of Fabius Pudens, lived 46 years, served 26 years militarily. His heir was made (the monument). "
We first observed the fine quality of the engraving and relief, a reminder of the importance of epigraphy in the consideration that it is the support of the inscription also, and not just its text. The text presents some ligatures: in line two and the R and I Noricum fused into a single letter where the little I overcame an R-size, binding for the current syllable, as is common ligation NT line 3.
The gentile constitution of our character tells us that he received the citizenship of one of the emperors of the Flavian dynasty, which used to date the monument of the late 70's AD. This dating is well suited to the form: then the epitaphs are no longer in the accusative and are preceded by an invocation to the gods Manes (D (iis) M (Anibus)). The wing that served Bassus was created from an original recruitment in the province of Noricum and had its garrison in Mainz in Germany than in the first half of the first century AD. She was moved to the neighboring province of Lower Germany before 70. Bassus had been recruited, as all the auxiliaries in general, without citizenship. She was probably given after 25 years of service, shortly before his death. He then adopted the tria nomina and the name of the emperor who gave him citizenship. The father's name is shown before its origo (community or place of birth): these two elements tells us that he had Thrace.
- CIL XIII, 8318, G. Alfoldy Die Provinz Germania Hilfstruppen der Rmischen inferior, Cologne, 1968, p. 70-71; B. and H. Galsterer Die Rmischen Steininschriften aus Kln, Cologne, 1975, No. 270 (Registration of Cologne, Germany today kept at the lower Rmisch-Germanisches Museum)
CIL XIII, 8318 Latin text: "C (AIUS) IVLIVS C (aii) (filius) GALE / RIA BACCVS LVGV / DVNI MIL (ES) COH (ortis) I TH / RACVM ANN (orum) XXXIIX / STIP (endiorum) XV ANTISTIVS / ATTICVS AND BASSIVS / COMMVNIS H (erede) F (aciendum) C (uraverunt) "
That can be translated as "Gaius Julius Baccus, son of Caius, of the tribe Galeria, a native of Lyon, a soldier of the first cohort of the Thracians, who lived 38 years, served 15 years militarily, and Atticus Antistius ( Antistius) Bassius, his heirs have made (this monument) in common. "
Registration is substantially contemporaneous with the previous one. The deceased is represented in a banquet scene, as is commonly the case. Unlike the previous, we see that the terrain here is the emphasis on civilian life and character of civilized and Romanized character who has commissioned the inscription. The engraving is beautiful and shows some ligatures (IT, LI, NI, NN, VM). This is a cohort of auxiliary infantry. It should be noted that while serving in an auxiliary force, Baccus was a Roman citizen and his father was already before him. The nomenclature of the citizen is complete as indicated by his tribe. He is originally from Lyon , and his gentile Iulius made up his citizenship to Julius Caesar or Augustus.
See also
References
- A. Maniet, Historical phonetics of Latin in the framework of Indo-European, Paris, 1975, Klincksieck.
- Extensive list of abbreviations Latin epigraphic
- CIL XIII, 8308, G. Alfoldy Die Provinz Germania Hilfstruppen der Rmischen inferior, Cologne, 1968, p. 25-28 and No. 47, B. and H. Galsterer Die Rmischen Steininschriften aus Kln, Cologne, 1975, No. 252
Bibliography
- Jean-Marie Lassre , Manual of Roman epigraphy. Paris: Picard, Antiquity and synthesis, 2007, 2 vols., 1167 p. (2nd edition revised and updated, 1st ed. In 2005).
- N. Benseddik "Lateinische Epigraphik Ideologien und Der Fall Algerien" Archologischer Anzeiger Halbband 1, 2006, pp. p. 61-71.
External Links
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