The Society for Classical Studies 2023 Annual Meeting
January 5-8, 2023 – New Orleans
Call for Papers for a Panel Sponsored by the American Society of Greek and Roman Epigraphy (ASGLE)
“Epigraphic Texts and Archaeological Contexts in the Graeco-Roman World”
Organized by Jonathan Edmondson (York University)
One of the most fruitful recent developments in Greek and Roman epigraphy has been the acknowledgement that more attention needs to be paid to the archaeological aspects of inscribed texts. Inscriptions ought to be studied not just as texts, but also as cultural artefacts. As such, inscribed monuments contributed towards the self-definition of individuals, families and communities within the Graeco-Roman world. Furthermore, the meaning of inscribed texts was significantly enhanced by the physical contexts in which they were displayed, while physical spaces were themselves rendered more meaningful by the presence of inscribed texts.
The aim of this panel is to explore the various ways in which inscribed texts of all types were displayed in their original physical contexts, and how these settings made a significant contribution towards their meaning and impact in their urban, suburban or rural contexts. The panel seeks to incorporate papers treating as wide as possible a range of types of inscriptions from a variety of geographical areas and historical periods. How and where were inscribed texts displayed and how did that choice enhance their meaning? How does an appreciation of the physical context contribute to a fuller understanding of the inscribed text and how did inscriptions enhance the visual impact of the space in which they were set up? The panel, it is hoped, will explore both public, monumental inscriptions as well as more private texts set up by individuals of middling or lower class. Papers may also explore the methodological difficulties and implications of reconstructing in full the physical contexts in which inscriptions not found in situ were once displayed.
Abstracts should be a maximum of 500 words (bibliography excluded), suitable for a 20-minute presentation. Please follow the SCS “Guidelines for Authors of Abstracts” (https://classicalstudies.org/annual-meeting/guidelines-authors-abstracts) and ensure that no reference is made to the author’s identity. Please send your anonymous abstract, as a Word or PDF e-mail attachment, to Jonathan Edmondson at jedmond@yorku.ca by March 15, 2022. Abstracts will be evaluated anonymously by two reviewers. (Please note that authors submitting abstracts must be SCS members in good standing and will need to register for the 2023 meeting.)