What is the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum?

It is the comprehensive scholarly collection of Latin inscriptions, begun under Theodor Mommsen in the nineteenth century, which remains a foundational reference for Latin epigraphy.

Why are Latin inscriptions full of abbreviations?

Roman inscriptions used standardized abbreviations for common names, offices, and formulae to save space and follow convention; learning these is central to reading them.

Latin Epigraphy

Latin epigraphy studies inscriptions in Latin—monumental texts, dedications, epitaphs, and official documents—as primary evidence for the institutions, society, and culture of Rome and its empire.

Definition

The study of inscriptions in the Latin language and script, used as primary documentary evidence for the Roman world.

Scope

This topic covers the reading, dating, and interpretation of Latin inscriptions across the Roman world, from the Republic through Late Antiquity. It treats the conventions of Roman inscriptions, including abbreviations, naming formulae, and the standard categories of funerary, honorific, building, and official texts, and uses them to study administration, the army, society, religion, and the spread of Roman culture.

Core questions

How are Latin inscriptions read, dated, and interpreted?
What do funerary and honorific inscriptions reveal about Roman society?
How do official and building inscriptions document administration and power?
How did the practice of inscribing vary across the empire and over time?

Key theories

The epigraphic habit: MacMullen's influential argument that the rise and fall in the number of Latin inscriptions reflects a culturally specific 'epigraphic habit' tied to Roman identity and confidence, rather than simple demographic trends.
Formulae and interpretation: The reliance on standardized Roman epigraphic formulae and abbreviations—for names, offices, and dedications—as keys to reading, categorizing, and dating inscriptions.

History

Latin epigraphy was placed on a systematic footing by the great Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum begun by Mommsen in the nineteenth century. The discipline has since refined methods of dating and interpretation and used inscriptions extensively to study Roman administration, the army, and provincial society, supported increasingly by digital corpora.

Debates

Explaining the epigraphic habit: Scholars debate why inscription numbers peaked in the high Empire and declined thereafter, weighing cultural, social, and demographic explanations for the 'epigraphic habit'.

Key figures

Lawrence Keppie
Alison Cooley
Ramsay MacMullen

Seminal works

cooley2012
keppie1991
macmullen1982

Frequently asked questions

What is the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum?: It is the comprehensive scholarly collection of Latin inscriptions, begun under Theodor Mommsen in the nineteenth century, which remains a foundational reference for Latin epigraphy.
Why are Latin inscriptions full of abbreviations?: Roman inscriptions used standardized abbreviations for common names, offices, and formulae to save space and follow convention; learning these is central to reading them.