Conceptions and Sources
asfarastheseplaces.Itispreciselythefactthatthevastmajorityofinscrip-
tions come from contexts which can be located at least within reasonable
limitsthatgivesthemtheirveryspecialsignificancebothincontrasttoand
incombinationwithliterarytextshandeddowninamanuscripttradition.
Many inscriptions can also be dated, either precisely—if theycontain a
dateusingaknownsystem(e.g.,theSeleucidera,Romanconsuls,orthetitles
ofaRomanemperor)—orapproximately,fromconsiderationsofarchaeo-
logical context, style of monument, letter forms of the inscription, use of
formulae,nomenclature,orlanguage.Butevenformal,publicinscriptions
maysometimesbeverydifficulttoplaceinachronologicalcontext;andeven
greater problems may be presented, for instance, by private tomb inscrip-
tionsfromtheRomanprovinces.
EpigraphyasLiterature
TheverycloselinksandresemblancesbetweenclassicalliteratureandGreek
andLatininscriptions,whichcanbeconsideredandanalysedasasub-species
of literary texts, have not,of course, escaped notice.^38 Butitisrelevantto
suggestthatfortheclassicallytrainedstudentapproachingGreekandLatin
epigraphyone relevant stratagem might be to begin with one or more of
thoseextendedtextswhichcanwithoutanydifficultybeseenasminorlit-
erarycompositions;someofthemareindeedprimespecimensofnarrative
or rhetorical prose. A strictly literaryanalysis of methods of composition,
introductionofthemes,repetition,andformsofexplanationandjustifica-
tion addressed to the potential reader would be of exceptional value, for
instanceinrelationtoextendedlegislativeinscriptions,particularlyforex-
amplethelongandcomplexinscriptionscontainingRomanlawswhichap-
pearinthelatersecondcentury..^39 Giventhedifficultyoffollowingthe
structureofthesetexts,itisnotsurprisingthathistoricalworksdevotedto
thisperiodshowadistincttendencytoalludeinpassingtoisolatedaspectsof
themratherthantreatingthemaswhattheyare,byfarthemostimportant
survivingproductsofthepoliticalprocessesoftheperiod.
Itmaybeworthwhilethereforetogiveafewexamplesofextendedepi-
graphicaltextswhichcouldbeanalysedasminorliteraryproducts,andwhich
. Note for instance the compilation by R. Chevallier,Épigraphie et littérature à Rome
(Faenza,).
. For relevant analyses, see D. Daube,Forms of Roman Legislation(Oxford, );
A. Watson,Law Making in the Later Roman Republic(Oxford, ). But see now A. N.
Sherwin-White,‘‘TheLexRepetundarum,’’JRS():.