Epigraphic Monuments Research Articles

A epígrafe latina como elemento didáctico (XXXVI)

Prosseguindo a série que visa mostrar como, a partir de um monumento epigráfico, se pode aprender um Latim vivo, faz-se brevíssima síntese histórica acerca do sítio arqueológico de Tróia, donde proveio a placa funerária romana a estudar. Esse estudo permitiu avançar uma proposta de restituição do texto incompleto. Por outro lado, a singularidade da decoração deu azo a que se reflectisse sobre a possibilidade de vir a conhecer-se o seu real significado.

Roman conquest of the Sarajevo Region and its consequences on the example of urbanism and Early Christian (Late Antique) architecture

Observed from the Roman perspective, the territory of the modern capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its wider area was a deep and inaccessible heartland of Illyricum, subsequently the Roman province of Dalmatia. This territory had been conquered by the Romans for many decades, as evidenced in the works of GrecoRoman authors. Based on the analysis of source materials and the critical approach of the modern literature, in this paper, the authors have offered a chronological review of Roman conquests of the Sarajevo Region. Following the military and political events that refer to the oldest population of the Daesitiates, that we know by name, in the period of 33 BC to AD 9, we have established the conquest phases of the upper course of the Bosna River and the valleys of Željeznica and Miljacka Rivers. The second part of the paper lists all the arguments why Roman itineraries and other geographic sources do not mention the Roman settlement near Ilidža or the administrative unit (municipium) whose territory included the Sarajevo Region. The issue of administrative development of municipium Aquae was interpreted through a critical analysis of the epigraphic monuments. In this context, we paid attention to the name of this municipal unit. By comparing the text carved on two epigraphic monuments that holds the name of the municipal unit of Aquae, it was determined that we need to give precedence to the name carved on the base of the statue of Emperor Diocletian (AD 284-305) because this inscription belongs to the category of public inscriptions unlike the inscription found on a tombstone of a member of local elite in Krivoglavci. In addition, the second part of the paper analyses the Early Christian architecture found in the Sarajevo Region. The analysis includes the period from the 4th to the 6 centuries AD, and in its final part, it will offer certain guidelines regarding the Christianization process and the earliest Church organization in this region for the purpose of posing new questions that will assist in finding a solution to this important problem in future research.

Naisus - pregled političkih i ekonomskih prilika u gradu od I do V veka n. e

This paper is the result of the research of the history of ancient Naissus. Its aim is to present the history of Naissus in the ancient time when the city was a part of the Roman Empire. The research is based on literary and epigraphic sources and archaeological finds. The territory of Naissus was a part of two provinces, Dacia Mediterranea and Dacia Ripensis. Since Naissus was an ordinary provincial city, ancient writers of that time did not show much interest in its history. Thus, information on Naissus in literary sources is quite scarce and occasionally inaccurate. Some information on Naissus is found in the work of Procopius (De aedificiis), the document Notitia dignitatum, recording a workshop for making weapons and military equipment. Naissus also appears in the Theodosian Code, as one of the numerous towns where the emperors issused edicts and laws. Epigraphic monuments are of particular importance for studying the history of any Roman city. These provide valuable information on the way of life, customs, religion, government, and military and social organization of the ancient world. Besides literary and epigraphic sources, the archaeological findsremains of ancient buildings, temples, roads, bridges, objects of material culture, weapons, tools, jewellery-all contributed significantly to shedding light on the past of the city of Niš.

Соңгы еллардагы эпиграфик табышлар: Ш. Мәрҗани гаиләсе

Соңгы еллардагы эпиграфик табышлар: Ш. Мәрҗани гаиләсе

«Sarybaghysh» Epitaphs from the Chu Valley

The paper deals with a little-known and virtually unexplored group of early 20 th century epigraphic monuments from central Semirechye (the lower course of Chon Kemin river), belonging to the clan of Tynaï of the Sarybaghysh tribe. A detailed analysis is carried out with regard to the sepulchral inscriptions on stone tombs (stelae) dedicated to the renowned Qyrghyz (Kyrgyz) manap Shabdan son of Jantaï, his two brothers and two underage daughters, all deceased and buried between 1904 and 1912.

DAGHESTAN HISTORICAL CHRONICLE «TARIH ABU MUSLIM» (MISKINDZHA LIST): TRANSLATION FROM THE ARABIC LANGUAGE, COMMENTS

The article introduces the content of recently revealed Arabic manuscript list from the anonymous medieval Daghestan historical chronicle «Tarih Abu Muslim» («History of Abu Muslim») into scientific circulation for the first time. The list, unknown before, is found in the Lezgin village Miskindzha (Dokuzparinsky district of Daghestan) and dates back to A.H. 1262 (13.12.1845 - 19.12.1846). This fact makes it the oldest dated work preserved till our days. Presumably, the manuscript was rewritten in one of the Lezgin villages in the territory of the modern South Daghestan. Among the most important themes of the chronicle «Tarih Abu Muslim» are the military activity of Abu Muslim in order to impose Islam in Daghestan and Shirvan; construction of mosques in different villages by Abu Muslim and his sons and designation of local governors. The list of Abu Muslim’s descendants and distribution of settlements between them is of particular interest. The study of Miskindzha list (list I) shows that its content overall corresponds to the published text of the composition (list A) in a slightly concise form. Moreover, there are some significant differences. The article specifies some toponymical terms, and identifies the names of some settlements in the territories of the modern South Daghestan and Northeast Azerbaijan Republic. It should be noted that practically all toponymical nomenclature of the Miskindzha list lies in the territory of the historical settlement of the Lezgins and other peoples of the Lezgin group. The latter gives us the reason to assume that the medieval work «Tarih Abu Muslim» was created by one of the natives from settlements of historical Lezgistan (Lakz of early medieval age). The translation of the Arabic text is provided with scientific commentary. When commenting on the text of the list, we involved new data of Arabic epigraphic monuments of medieval Daghestan from the 13th to the 15th centuries, which confirms the authenticity of some chronicle information.

Administrativne jedinice nepoznatog imena iz istočne Bosne i Podrinja / Administrative Units of Unknown Name from Eastern Bosnia and Podrinje

We witness the continual habituation of the Romanija-Rogatica region in the period of early Roman Empire primarily as the result of archaeological findings. A Roman settlement was located in the center of the present-day town of Rogatica (south-eastern Bosnia). Based on the analysis involving Tabula Peutingeriana, milestones and archaeological findings, we can conclude that the route Salona – Argentaria (Tab. Peut. 5, 3 - 6, 2) passed near this town. This territory once was also the headquarters of a Roman colony of unknown name. The paper presents different views regarding the name of this administrative units. The analysis of Latin inscriptions on epigraphic monuments made an attempt at answering this question. A particularly important monument for the study of the Roman colony in Rogatica is tombstone dedicated to Titus Claudius Maximus. According to this monument, the said person was a decurion of the colony Ris(…?). Inscriptions dedicated to decurions, duumviri and military veterans corroborate the existence of the colony in Rogatica. Prosopography also shows the relationship between the colony Ris(…?) and the settlement of military veterans, as they appear as city servants in this town. The second part of the paper focuses on the territory of the upper course of the Drina river that belonged to the municipal unit whose center was in the village of Komini near Pljevlja (Montenegro). This territory is located between the mountains Pivska, Ljubiša, Kovač, Jahorina, Treskavica, Lelija, Zelengora and Maglić. Although Komini hold a relatively small number of inscriptions that mention local officials from the municipium, not a single monument has preserved the full name of this administrative unit. They most commonly mention only the function of a particular person. The only inscription that shares more information is the honorary inscription dedicated in accordance with the decision of the council of decurions for the Roman knight and decurion Titus Aurelius Sextianus. This inscription states that this person was a decurion in municipium S(…?). Scholars have frequently identified this name with Splonum mentioned by Cassius Dio (Dio. 56. 11, 2). However, this paper emphasizes that Dio’s text suggests that Splonum should be located in western Bosnia. When it comes to the territory of the upper course of the Drina river, there are no inscriptions mentioning decurions, duumviri or aediles. Namely, Roman villas were mostly commonly found here (villae rusticae, villae sururbanae, villae urbanae). These archaeological findings support the thesis which claims that this territory was part of municipium S(…?), that was the closest to it geographically.

Koji je administrativni status rimskog naselja na Ilidži? / What was the administrative status of the Roman settlement in Ilidža?

Medicinal sulfuric springs at present-day Ilidža helped to create Roman thermae that gave the Roman municipium the name Aquae. Systematic archaeological examinations conducted by Carl Patch and Esad Pašalić suggest that this Roman settlement in Ilidža had existed without interruptions from the 1st to the 4th century. Based on the comparison of literary sources and the results of archaeologic research and epigraphic inscriptions, this paper will determine the genesis of administrative development of this Roman administrative unit whose administration included the upper course of the Bosna river and the Sarajevo area. This is an attempt at answering the following question: «Can we speak of Aquae in the context of Roman citizens at all?” Another important question is what methodology should we use to treat the expression res publica Aquae S(...?) that was carved on the base of Diocletian’s statue discovered in Ilidža. BiH scholarship has so far based its understanding of this term on Mócsy’s definition of the noun phrase res publica in the context of “pseudo-municipal” status. The results of analysis of inscriptions found on epigraphic monuments that will be presented in this paper suggest that one should step away from understanding the phrase res publica as an administrative category. Finally, we should point out that the objective of this paper is to present the territorial and administrative development of Aquae, as it is an exact example of the Roman municipalization model in the provincial interior. This interior was usually geographically very distant from the most important economic and urban centers of the Roman Empire that has also left an impact on its cultural and historical development. Systematic archaeological research on the right bank of the Željeznica river in 2016 and 2017 has revealed several stratigraphic layers which include, among others, the ancient period. These new findings have been discovered more to the east compared to the previous findings, indicating that the urban complex of Aquae had been expanding toward the Sarajevo area.

Predstave ilirskih ethne u augusteumu u Afrodisiju / Personifications of Illyrian ethne from an Augusteum in Aphrodisias

The city of Aphrodisias (Aphrodisias; ) was situated in the continental inland of the Caria region in the south-west of Asia Minor. This town flourished in the Hellenistic period and the time of the Pergamon-Attalid dynasty that ruled Asia Minor from 282 to 133 BC. It was during this period that the city was named after the goddess Aphrodite (Venus in Roman religion) who had a very specific cult image in this city. Aphrodisias got its special symbolic meaning with the establishment of the Principate and the “first amongst the citizens”, Octavian Augustus, who was adopted into the gens Julia. One of the main propaganda elements of the new Augustan regime was a strong reliance on the “Aeneid story” that got its official version with Virgil’s Aeneid. Aeneas was the son of Trojan prince Anchises and Venus, whereas in Roman-Italic tradition, his son Ascanius/Iulus is considered to be an eponymous founder of the gens Julia. By advocating the “Aeneid story”, Augustus gave an emphasis to his divine origin, and Venus/Aphrodite became a deity of “special importance” for the new system. Aphrodisias was a city with many monumental facilities and buildings, statues and reliefs. The quality and amount of marble which the citizens and craftsmen in Aphrodisias had at their disposal resulted in a large number of inscriptions. Approximately 2000 epigraphic monuments have been discovered up to this point, the majority being from the Principate. Some of the monumental buildings of Aphrodisias are: 1. The temple of Aphrodite, the focal point of the entire city, transformed into a Christian basilica in Late Antiquity 2. Monumental tetrapylon 3. Bouleuterion ( ) or odeon 4. Stadium 5. Augusteum (Sebasteion, on the Greek east) containing personi- fied representations of Illyrian peoples and communities on relief The reliefs on Augusteum show the images of Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius and young Nero. The complex itself is dedicated to “To Aphrodite, the Divine Augusti and the People”. Originally it contained 190 reliefs. Iconography and reliefs can be organized into four groups divided into top and bottom lines of southern and northern temple portico: I Southern portico: the top line contained the personification of principes and deities; the bottom line contained images of old Hellenic mythology. II Northern portico: the top line contained allegories (and perhaps principes); the bottom line contained a series of ethne, i.e. the images of peoples. Each ethne was represented by a personified relief statue on a decorated base with an inscription. Relief statues were always in the form of a dressed standing girl. To this point, four statues and inscriptions have been identified for four peoples from the Illyrian territory: the Iapodes, Andizetes, Pirustae and Dardani. All four of these Illyrian peoples are mentioned by well-known and accessible source materials as the communities who were subdued by the armies commanded by Octavian Augustus after rebelling. A large number of sculptures or parts of the sculptures has not been ethnonymically identified with certainty due to damage and material fragmentation. Thus, we can assume that they hold hidden personifications or at least parts of personifications of other Illyrian peoples. The western part contained personifications of Illyrian peoples, and judging by their arrangement, peoples from the western Balkans may have been located somewhere in the vicinity.

Italska terra sigillata iz rimske vile rustike u uvali Caska na otoku Pagu

U članku je obrađen dio arheološke građe prikupljene prilikom istraživanja antičke vile rustike u Caski na otoku Pagu, koje je 2005. i 2006. godine provela tvrtka Geoarheo d.o.o. iz Sesveta. Dvije podrumske prostorije kvadratnog tlocrta i doliji sekundarno upotrebljeni kao otpadne jame sadržavali su veliku količinu keramičkog posuđa, među kojim se posebno ističe italska terra sigillata uvožena s prostora sjeverne i srednje Italije u vrijeme cara Augusta. Među nalazima treba istaknuti ulomke dna tanjura i zdjelica na kojima su pronađeni keramičarski pečati pretežito sjevernoitalskih radionica, osobito značajni kod pokušaja rekonstrukcije trgovačkih puteva u antičkom razdoblju. Grafiti prisutni na nekoliko posuda vjerojatno predstavljaju prva slova imena grčkih robova ili oslobođenika koji su radili za velikog rimskog zemljoposjednika. Posjed u Caski po svemu je sudeći pripadao rimskoj senatorskoj obitelji Kalpurnijevaca (Calpurnii Pisones), čemu u prilog govore pronađeni epigrafski spomenici.

Prayers against Fever in the Tenth-century Epigraphic Monuments

Prayers against Fever in the Tenth-century Epigraphic Monuments

Epigrafski i arheološki rad Nikole Vulića na teritoriji Makedonije

This work is a result of decades long archaeological excavations by Nikola Vulić on the territory of Macedonia. The work also comprises of his compilation of epigraphic monuments. During the systematic excavations on numerous sites in Macedonia, Vulić achieved significant results which served as a base for future projects. His work on Greek and Roman epigraphy has been fundamental for understanding the ancient history of the Balkan Peninsula. The paper also presents the newest results.

The Flavian Officina Lapidaria Tarraconense: colour and texture in the service of Rome

We present a reflection on the workshops charged with shaping the public image of Flavian Tarraco through its epigraphic monuments. For this purpose, we undertooka detailed analysis of the materials and media used to decorate the areas of representation of the Concilium Provinciae, established at the beginning of Vespasian’s reign, contrasting them with the epigraphic production of the preceding periods. The study is compared to other archaeological relics from the same area.

Clay statuettes of male and female paredros from Roman Dacia

This paper synthetises knowledge concerning the spread of the paredros type statuette in Roman Dacia. Thus, we examined their manner of distribution, the workshops, and most importantly their significance. The author notes that these statuettes were discovered solely in Dacia Superior and Porolissensis, especially in the former. He highlights the fact that these statuettes were found in the area of the most developed urban planning, along the Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa–Apulum–Potaissa–Porolissum line, in highly Romanised towns with important military units stationed nearby. Similarly, it shows the important role the Apulum urban centre played in producing and distributing these votive statuettes. The author concludes that these statuettes are additional evidence of the lower classes’ affiliation to imperial power. Due to the spread of the Jupiter cult in Apulum, it is no wonder that people sought to obtain a cheaper variant, accessible to the poor. Due to this aspect, as well as the sober, rigid stance of the characters, we attribute them to the deities Jupiter and Juno. Considering that such statuettes were not found in burials, it is unlikely that they were funerary offerings that were more likely to depict the divine couple Pluto and Proserpine. The statuettes cannot represent local Dacian deities since the conquered population is rarely mentioned in provincial inscriptions with anthroponyms (just over two percent), and sculptural or epigraphic monuments do not represent the deities of the ancient local pantheon. Furthermore, in the urban environment where these votive terracottas were produced, the presence of the Thracian-Dacian population is almost never mentioned epigraphically (more than 1% of epigraphs depict anthroponyms) or archaeologically.

Proces romanizacije u prvom stoljeću nove ere u unutrašnjosti rimske provincije Dalmacije / The process of Romanisation in the inland of the Roman province of Dalmatia in the 1st century

In contemporary Roman historiography and archaeology the process of Romanisation is studied from two opposite viewpoints. Post-processualists and structuralists usually define Romanisation as a construct of Mommsen’s school of thought, whereas traditionalists believe that the process of Romanisation is one of the evident cultural and political processes that marked the Roman civilisation. For traditionalists it represents a process of cultural transformation that helped indigenous communities to integrate into the Roman Empire. Perhaps the best solution to this problem was offered by Curchin who believes that instead of giving up on the term Romanisation it’s better to deconstruct this term and revise it as a useful descriptor of an important cultural process in the Roman world. The inland of the Roman province of Dalmatia can serve as an exact example of the methodological analysis of the aforementioned historiographical problem. Although the 1 century in Dalmatia was marked by construction undertakings of Publius Cornelius Dolabella, the basic parameters of Romanisation in the inland can be observed not until under the Flavian dynasty. This is the period of first municipia in the inland: municipium Bist(uensium), municipium Malvesiatum, municipium Raetinum, municipium Arupium, municipium Doclea. We observe that local, preRoman aristocracy continues to reign in these municipia as part of the Roman administrative machinery. Therefore, even with Roman citizenship, indigenous elite did not renounce their pre-Roman identity. This can be inferred from epigraphic monuments of decuriones from the abovementioned municipia who, although being granted Roman citizenship, retained onomastic elements of Western Balkans (Illyrian) origin within their nomenclature (Bato, Blodus, Tatta, Epicadus, Laedio , Aplius and Annia). Local aristocracy evidently played a key role in spreading the Roman political power, because it took over the role of military prefects under the Julio Claudian dynasty.

Činovnička karijera klasičnih rimskih pravnika u provinciji Dalmaciji / The clerical career of classical Roman jurists in the province of Dalmatia

Epigraphic monuments provide testimony about the service of famous Roman jurists of the classical period in the Roman province of Dalmatia: Pegasus, Javolenus, Africanus and Modestinus, which has already been stated in the legal and historical literature. They are important representatives of classical Roman jurisprudence and the question arises about their influence and impact on the legal development of the province. As the successor of Proculus, Pegasus worked under Vespasian and Domitian as the leader of the famous law school, while the leader of the rival Sabinian school, Javolenus, was in the Dalmatia around 81 AD as the legatus of the Legio IV Flavia Felix. Marcus Celia Africanus is the most important disciple of Julian, while Herrenius Modestina was the last true representative of classical Roman law and has been included in the so-called “Law of Citations” and was the disciple of the famous Ulpian. The province of Dalmatia was firstly visited by Pegasus as the Vespasian’s governor of the province. Javolenus came to the province as the legatus legionis, while in the mid-2 century a young apprentice Africanus was working in the governor’s office. In the early 3rd century, under Emperor Caracalla, young Modestinus was residing in the province of Dalmatia. The presence of these famous jurists certainly affected the legal life of the province and even the whole process of Romanization and in many ways is a confirmation of Justinian’s proclamation (Constitutio “Imperatoriam maiestatem”) that the imperial majesty should be armed with laws as well as glorified with arms!

Walerian Olszowski herbu Prus II (zm. 1650), ojciec prymasa Andrzeja Olszowskiego i dobrodziej familii w pamięci potomstwa wyrażonej na nagrobku ojca w Stolcu

Artykuł omawia treść inskrypcji upamiętniającej Waleriana Olszowskiego herbu Prus II (1587–1650). Nagrobek znajduje się obecnie w kościele pod wezwaniem św. Wawrzyńca w Stolcu i utrzymany jest w stylu renesansowym. Inskrypcja ma kilka niewątpliwych zalet. Po pierwsze, informuje na temat roli politycznej przedstawicieli rodu Olszowskich, czyli nie tylko Waleriana, lecz także jego synów. Stanowi także dobry przykład wykorzystania zabytków epigraficznych w badaniach genealogicznych oraz – co jest niezwykłą rzadkością – precyzyjnie określa przyczynę zgonu tytułowego bohatera. Artykuł stanowi również próbę rozwiązania programu heraldycznego, na który składają się herby Prus II, Jastrzębiec, Ostoja, Topór. Ponadto autor podjął zagadnienia związane z pochodzeniem rodu Olszowskich w okresie średniowiecza, które można potraktować jako drobny przyczynek do dziejów tej familii w Polsce Centralnej.

Caius Munatius Faustus, l’ Augustalis et paganus pompéien aux deux tombeaux

Le présent article développe l’étude des monuments épigraphiques de l’affranchi C. Munatius Faustus, conservés dans deux nécropoles pompéiennes et dans le désert Oriental égyptien. Après un examen approfondi des informations textuelles, notamment du vocabulaire et des formulaires, l’auteur étudie les spécificités matérielles des monuments épigraphiques, notamment l’iconographie et le contexte topographique. Ces éléments permettent en effet de reconstituer les pratiques sociales de certains acteurs du corps social et les processus de leur codification en un ensemble de savoirs sociaux.

Voskresenskij Novo-Ierusalimskij monastyr': mesto knyazya A.A. CHelakaeva (CHelokaeva) v famil'nom nekropole Buturlinyh – Priklonskih – Volynskih – Vul'f – Suhovo-Kobylinyh

Our research of necropolis of New Jerusalem Monastery has brought a new name. It is prince A.A. Chelakaev. He was buried on the unpaved section of the monastery cemetery. Historic place of one of the oldest princely family of Georgia in a noble part of monastery necropolis let us attribute prince A.A. Chelakaev to related families - the Buturlins - Priklonskys - Volynskis - Wolfs - Sukhovo-Kobylins (25/10/1778 - 04/11/1873), including 11 graves. Besides, that extends investigations based on the monument / burial principle. Genealogical research that affected the person buried in the monastery of Prince Alexander Anofrievich Chelakaev allowed to make up for the genealogy of Chelokashvili princes, one of the most noble families of Georgia so far very poorly studied. We used the sources associated with burials in Moscow the Georgian elite tombs of St. Nicholas Greek and the Donskoy Monastery. Georgian prince, buried in the Voskresensky New Jerusalem Monastery, was not an unauthorized person to a host of representatives of persons belonging to the aristocracy reigning House of Bagration. We note that the research material at our disposal expanded the results of archaeological discoveries of 2009- 2013. Due to this facxt, we updated the list of monuments involving research field associated with the study of the necropolis of the New Jerusalem Monastery in the genealogical, heraldic and epigraphic monuments from 1656 to 1919, as we attributed several previously unknown and inaccessible tombstones before hidden in the ground. In particular, the findings of two new graves and tombstones proved to be especially valuable.

Bilješke o rimskim vilama sa juga provincije Dalmacije (Nekolika primjera sa područja istočne Hercegovine)

This paper presents the data regarding Roman villas in the valley of the Trebišnjica River in East Herzegovina (south of province of Dalmatia). The bases for successful research of Roman villas in this region are original written records and material remnants on the terrain (epigraphic monuments, remnants of buildings, settlements, and roads, fragments of bricks, roof tiles, processed stone, Roman ceramics, glass, vessels and amphorae, fragments of frescoes, mosaics, torcularium, money etc.). Archeological discoveries point out that continuity of populating this region could be traced from prehistorical period until modern age. The area which will be researched in this paper is located near the Trebišnjica River. It is the area with very convenient climate conditions for the development of agriculture and livestock farming. It caused this region to be populous in ancient time. In this paper we will present discoveries from Roman time from the locations of Crkvina-Prežani (villa urbana), Dračeva strana (villa rustica), Potkućnice (villa rustica) and villa rustica very close to bank of the Trebišnjica River (Panik) southern from Bileća, Mirina and Lijeska villa rustica (Bihovo) near Trebinje, as well as the location of Tanoge in Ljubomir (villa rustica) northern from Trebinje.