How is a document transformed in the journey from text to monument? This chapter explores how the process of inscribing (or recarving) a document could impact its appearance, function, and meaning. Monumental documents have been the subject of much scholarship, but the focus of studies has primarily been on content. While this approach makes sense from a historical perspective, recent scholarship has sought to incorporate aspects of materiality and physicality into interpretations of inscriptions, which are experienced both as texts and as objects. Did different versions of a document look like copies? How might differences in the physical appearance and context of a document shape its perception and meaning? Focusing on a specific case study, two copies of a letter from Hadrian to Aphrodisias inscribed at different times and places (I.Aphrodisias 2007 8.34 and I.Aphrodisias 2007 11.114), this chapter assesses how monumental copies of documents were presented and perceived by ancient viewers.
University of London, United Kingdom - ORCID: 0000-0001-9710-2035
Chapter Title
Monumental Transformations: Two Copies of a Letter from Hadrian at Aphrodisias
Authors
Abigail Graham
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0456-9.15
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Text, Layout, and Medium
Book Subtitle
Documents from the Greco-Roman World between Epigraphy and Papyrology
Editors
Davide Amendola, Cristina Carusi, Francesca Maltomini, Emilio Rosamilia
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
426
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0456-9
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0455-2
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0456-9
Series Title
Edizioni dell’Istituto Papirologico «G. Vitelli»
Series ISSN
2533-2414
Series E-ISSN
2612-7997