Greek Romans? An Analysis of Greek Funerary Inscriptions from Rome

Date
2024-01
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Abstract

This dissertation examines the Greek funerary inscriptions from Rome between the 1st and the beginning of the 5th century CE. The main goal was to examine together the material produced by the pagan, Christian and Jewish communities, in order to look at commonalities and differences in the epigraphic practice of these communities; this is a valuable approach, quite different from the traditional scholarly approach which focuses on one or two groups at once. This helps to show how these communities did not live separately, but side to side in the same city. The research also compared the Greek epigraphic practice from the city of Rome, whether it was informed by Latin practice or influenced by the practice of Greek-speaking areas (i.e., Asia Minor, Greece, etc.). Secondly, quantitative analysis has been used to look at language issues (in particular, syntax and formulas), the relationship between commemorator and dedicator, epithets, age at death and status of the deceased. This research has shown how complex this material is: the different communities influenced each other, and the Greek funerary inscriptions present the adaptation of some aspects and formulas from the contemporary Latin epigraphic practice, as well as different peculiarities which Greek-speaking immigrants probably introduced to the city of Rome from there areas of the Empire, in particular Asia Minor.

Description
Keywords
funerary inscriptions, epigraphy, greek language, roman epigraphy, Ancient Rome
Citation
Di Rosa, M. (2024). Greek Romans? An analysis of Greek funerary inscriptions from Rome (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.