Abstract
AbstractChapter 3 presents archaeological case studies of ancient inscriptions that were preserved in their original places and still visible at sanctuary sites in late antiquity. Although we may initially think these inscriptions were simply ignored as late antique cities evolved around them, in several cases Christian graffiti is found in the vicinity of these ancient texts, while other inscriptions survived despite major building projects taking place nearby. This suggests that leaving inscriptions in situ was a decision. Close attention to the content of these texts reveals that many featured famous rulers of the past, such as Alexander or Augustus, and therefore had the potential to frame local people’s relations with late antique emperors. Even largely illegible texts in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Palmyrene Aramaic, Latin, or Lydian could contribute to the construction of civic identity.
Publisher
Oxford University PressNew York
Reference694 articles.
1. Addey, C. 2011. “Assuming the Mantle of the Gods: ‘Unknowable Names’ and Invocations in Late Antique Theurgic Ritual,” in Sacred Words: Orality, Literacy and Religion, ed. A. P. M. H. Lardinois, Leiden, 279–294.
2. Agusta-Boularot, S. 2006. “Malalas épigraphiste? Nature et fonction des citations épigraphiques dans la Chronique,” in Recherches sur la Chronique de Jean Malalas Vol. 2, ed. S. Agusta-Boularot, J. Beaucamp, A.-M. Bernardi, and E. Caire, Paris, 97–135.
3. Aliquot, J. 2008. “Sanctuaries and Villages on Mt Hermon during the Roman Period,” in The Variety of Local Religious Life in the Near East in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods, ed. T. Kaizer, Leiden, 73–96.