In Tr. 3.14.46, Ovid laments his decrease in Latin knowledge, concluding that he almost unlearned his mother tongue (uerba mihi desunt dedidicique loqui) and in Tr. 5.7b.55-64 he confesses the decline of his language skills caused by disuse. Moreover, he states that he has learned to speak in Getic to the point of having composed a Geticum libellum (Pont. 4.13.17-23). So, in Ovidian exilic poetry we can observe the elegiac representation of “language attrition”, consisting in a gradual decline or loss of language proficiency, in conjunction with long-lasting contact with foreign languages. But the linguistic adeptness emerging in Ibis and generally in the exilic corpus shows no sign of attrition. We can argue that Ovid uses this frame in order to re-elaborate a literary portray of the persona exulis and to intensify the danger of the loss of Latinity in Tomis, and maybe in the cultural life of Augustan Rome.

Édition d’un graffiti grec inédit de la région thébaine, qui offre un nouvel exemple du chiffre de permutation en usage à l’époque byzantine. Une fois décrypté, le texte nous livre le nom Κλεοπᾶς, qui permet de dater le document de l’époque impériale. L’inscription livre ainsi un témoignage précoce de ce système cryptographique, globalement contemporain du proscynème qu’un certain Loukios a fait graver sur le Colosse de Memnon (I.Col.Memnon 102).

This article provides an original contribution to the ongoing debate on the social roles of Roman freedmen by examining the performativity of libertination – the explicit reference to an agent by the term libertus – in the epistolary networking of Cicero and his correspondents. Because many ex-slaves were counted among the elite’s most confidential personnel, the discursive use of libertination established a paratextual aura of trustworthiness that smoothed potentially delicate interactions. Contrary to previous studies that consider libertination mainly as a stratifying or even stigmatising label (accentuating an inferior legal status), this contribution suggests that it was, at least in epistolary discourse, a valuable asset readily resorted to by letter writers who were looking for ways to present their messages as reliable representations of their own thoughts and opinions.

This paper offers new insights in the relation between the Roman emperor and the two ecumenical associations of competitors, the xystic synod of athletes and the thymelic synods of artists. These associations defended the interests of first-class competitors in Greek agones, competitive festivals in the tradition of the Olympic Games that were widespread in the Roman empire. Since the earliest studies on the two synods, scholars have maintained that they were a tool in the hands of the emperor with which he could keep the Greek festival world under control. A thorough analysis of both epigraphical and papyrological sources reveals, however, that the synods had more agency than has been previously assumed. This paper argues that they were embedded in a network of reciprocal relationships, in which lobby work and symbolic communication in the context of the imperial cult gave them ample room to pursue their specific professional interests.

Présentation d'une tablette de défixion découverte à Tongres en 2016. - Le contexte de découverte. - L'objet. - Édition. - La défixion replacée dans son contexte de découverte. - Une date précoce. - Une défixion bilingue. - Des parallèles éclairants. La tablette de Tongres et la circulation des textes magiques. - Pratiques magiques dans la cité des Tongres.

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