Ancient Literacies

the library and his heirs finished it.^32 The building was in fact a heroon,

enclosing Celsus’s sarcophagus in a crypt directly below the library’s

vaulted central apse, which likely held his statue.^33 A long foundation

document, again in Greek but this time dedicated more normally to

Celsus in the dative, stood to the right of the center door, and stated

the conditions of the bequest, as well as amounts given for construction

and purchase of books, specifying that Celsus’s statues were to be

crowned three times a year.^34 This inscription would have taken more

effort to read, as it was over a statue niche and stood 4.80–6.30 meters

from floor level; though its 24 closely written lines began with letters

4.5 cm tall, they dwindle to 2 cm at the bottom.

The bilingual aspect comes to the fore—literally—on the bases of

two equestrian statues of Celsus that flanked the library staircase. Their

inscriptions, in Latin on the right, Greek on the left, both show Celsus’s

name and his most important titles (consul and proconsul of Asia) on the

front, whereas those entering the library would see the long sides listing

Celsus’s official career to either side as they climbed the stairs.
35
The

32. Ma (2007, esp. 220) discusses the meaning behind the use of the accusative for
    statues, which may be extended to this building: ‘‘The honorific formula and decree, in their
    determination to speak of civic culture, say ‘Look around you.’’’


33. Neudecker (2004, 303 4) on library as heroon, though he misattributes the sar
    cophagus to Aquila. For intramural burial, infra n. 61.
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80 Situating Literacies