Thesis title: Carmina Latina Epigraphica post-Bücheleriana of Rome. A Selection of Epitaphs in Elegiac Couplets
Since the publication of the still fundamental standard editions of Carmina Latina Epigraphica (CLE) by BÜCHELER (1895 and 1897) and LOMMATZSCH (1926), a significant number of new CLE have been discovered. Numerous editions and thematic studies focusing on CLE from Roman provinces, regions and cities have since emerged, incorporating the inscriptions previously compiled by BÜCHELER / LOMMATZSCH while also accounting for the CLE post-Bücheleriana. An up-to-date edition of the CLE from the city of Rome, constituting approximately one third of all CLE in the Roman Empire, is, however, still eagerly awaited. These urban CLE remain dispersed across various publications, with especially many CLE post-Bücheleriana still unnoticed or inadequately commented on so far.
One of the primary objectives of this thesis is to address this gap by focusing on some of these lesser-known CLE post-Bücheleriana, expanding on their insufficient commentaries and correcting them where necessary. Rather than covering a large number of inscriptions with necessarily limited commentary, I have instead opted for in-depth analyses and verse-by-verse exegetical commentaries on select examples. These examples, in addition to being CLE post-Bücheleriana from Rome, were chosen based on the following criteria: (i) they are pagan epitaphs, (ii) that are still extant and (iii) they are composed in elegiac couplets.
Regarding (i), epitaphs were selected because the vast majority of prose and metrical inscriptions originate from the funerary sphere, encompassing a broad spectrum of themes, topoi and motifs and enabling to draw parallels with numerous other metrical examples. While subject to tradition, conventions and norms, epitaphs nevertheless display a great variety of individuality and original expression, providing valuable insight into the thoughts and beliefs of the ancient Roman population regarding death and mourning. To maintain ideological consistency, only pagan epitaphs were considered, while Christian ones were excluded due to their differing concepts and values.
By applying criterion (ii), all verse inscriptions known only through the manuscript tradition or lost either before or after the editions by BÜCHELER / LOMMATZSCH were excluded. This approach adheres to MOMMSEN’s methodological premise that an epigraphic edition should ideally be based on direct autopsy by the editor. Where inscriptions were unfortunately inaccessible for autopsy, suitable photographs were used instead to ensure a reliable check of the readings, ordinatio and palaeography of the texts, in comparison with the information provided in existing editions and commentaries.
As for (iii), the elegiac couplet was chosen as a criterion because, alongside the dactylic hexameter, it is by far the most prevalent metre among CLE. It was particularly favoured in literary genres such as epigrams and elegies related to love and lament. The characteristic brevity of epigrams, coupled with the themes associated with elegy, made the metre especially suitable for sepulchral poetry, where the grief of the bereaved had to be conveyed within the limited space available on the support.
To contextualise the significance of the elegiac couplet, an introductory chapter is dedicated to tracing the emergence of elegiac CLE in the Roman Empire. This chapter explores the metre’s roots in Greek practice, discusses when, how and why it was adopted by the Romans and outlines its epigraphic development up to its ‘breakthrough’ during the Augustan period.
In the main body of the thesis, the selected CLE are presented and thoroughly analysed verse by verse, with a particular focus on epigraphic, palaeographic, onomastic, philological and linguistic aspects. Moreover, in order to illustrate and do justice to the poetic-metrical dimension of the CLE discussed, the standard epigraphic schedae – including the description of the support and text, concordance of previous editions, transcription and critical apparatus, translation, commentary, dating and figures – have been expanded with the additional segments titled “Text divided into verses” and “Metrics”. In these, the actual metrical patterns of the inscriptions are visually displayed and commented on, highlighting metrical features, peculiarities and deviations from the classical elegiac pattern. Each inscription is substantiated and contextualised using ample parallels and bibliographic references, facilitating the interpretation and accessibility of especially fragmentary or challenging texts and passages.
The new and main findings from the analyses of the CLE are summarised in a concluding chapter.