International Association for Greek and Latin Epigraphy

International Association for Greek and Latin Epigraphy
Name	International Association for Greek and Latin Epigraphy
Formation	2006
Region served	International
Membership	Scholars, institutions
Leader title	President

International Association for Greek and Latin Epigraphy is an international learned society focused on the study of ancient inscriptions in Greece, Rome, and the broader Mediterranean world. It convenes scholars from institutions such as University of Oxford, École Normale Supérieure, University of Cambridge, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", and Harvard University to coordinate research on inscriptions linked to figures like Augustus, Pericles, Pliny the Elder, Homer, and Herodotus. The association connects projects based in centers including the British Museum, British School at Athens, Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Heidelberg University, and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

History

The association emerged from discussions among epigraphists affiliated with the International Congress of Classical Archaeology, Association Internationale d'Épigraphie Grecque et Latine (AIEGL), Society for Classical Studies, Deutsche Archäologische Institut, and scholars working on corpora such as the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, Inscriptiones Graecae, Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Roman Inscriptions of Britain, and the Epigraphic Database Heidelberg. Founding members included researchers associated with Princeton University, University of Vienna, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, University of Paris-Sorbonne, University of Leuven, University of Toronto, University of Chicago, and University of Bonn. Early meetings referenced archival holdings at the Vatican Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, and excavations sponsored by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Istanbul. Influences cited include methodologies from the Thesaurus Linguae Latinae, Oxford Classical Dictionary, Cambridge Ancient History, Loeb Classical Library, and digital initiatives like the Perseus Project and Pelagios.

Objectives and Activities

The association promotes collaboration between projects such as the Epigraphic Database Roma (EDR), EpiDoc, PHI Latin Texts Project, Packard Humanities Institute, and initiatives linked to the Getty Research Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Louvre Museum, and regional museums in Athens, Istanbul, Naples, and Cairo. It supports field surveys of sites like Pompeii, Delphi, Ephesus, Pergamon, Olynthus, Petra, and Leptis Magna and liaises with agencies including UNESCO, ICOMOS, European Research Council, British Academy, National Endowment for the Humanities, and national academies such as the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and the Royal Irish Academy. Activities emphasize epigraphic editing, palaeography, prosopography, and digital humanities approaches derived from collaborations with Stanford University, Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, and University College London.

Organizational Structure

Governance follows models used by the Royal Society, Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, American Philological Association, Deutscher Archäologenverband, and the European Association of Archaeologists. The executive body includes a President, Secretary-General, Treasurer, and sectional coordinators for Greek, Latin, and digital epigraphy drawn from universities such as King's College London, University of Edinburgh, Brown University, University of Barcelona, University of Leiden, Ghent University, and research institutes like the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Netherlands Institute at Athens. Advisory boards include editors of journals like Journal of Roman Studies, Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, Classical Quarterly, and representatives of projects including the Digital Corpus of Greek Inscriptions.

Congresses and Conferences

The association organizes international congresses with venues that have hosted meetings for the International Congress of Classical Archaeology, Association Internationale des Critiques Littéraires, and regional symposia at institutions such as Trinity College Dublin, Humboldt University of Berlin, Universidade de Coimbra, Universidad de Salamanca, Università di Napoli Federico II, and Universität Zürich. Sessions often feature papers on inscriptions from contexts like the Achaemenid Empire, Hellenistic Kingdoms, Byzantine Empire, Sassanian Empire, Carthage, and Ptolemaic Egypt and attract specialists who have published on subjects including Socrates, Cleisthenes, Cicero, Trajan, Hadrian, Constantine I, Seneca, Tacitus, Polybius, and Thucydides.

Publications and Projects

The association collaborates on edited volumes, conference proceedings, and digital resources akin to Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries, Brill's New Pauly, Oxford Studies in Ancient Documents, and online databases such as the Vindolanda Tablets Online and Hellenistic Royal Inscriptions Online. It supports projects indexing inscriptions from regions governed by entities like the Delian League, Athenian Empire, Roman Republic, Roman Empire, Seleucid Empire, and cities including Syracuse, Athens, Corinth, Antioch, Alexandria, and Carthage. Collaborative grants involve funders like the European Research Council, Wellcome Trust, and national research councils in Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain.

Membership and Affiliations

Members include epigraphists, archaeologists, philologists, and digital humanists affiliated with bodies such as the British Academy, American Academy in Rome, École Française de Rome, Swiss Institute in Rome, Netherlands Institute in Rome, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, and university departments across North America, Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. Institutional partners comprise libraries and museums such as the Ashmolean Museum, Vatican Museums, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Museo Nazionale Romano, Archaeological Museum of Istanbul, and research networks including COST, CLARIN, and DARIAH.

Impact and Criticism

The association has influenced standards for epigraphic editions, digital encoding with EpiDoc and open-access practices championed by initiatives like the Open Humanities Press and the Creative Commons movement, and interoperability with resources such as the Perseus Project and Pelagios. Critics draw comparisons to debates in forums associated with the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum over editorial policy, to controversies in the Oxford Classical Dictionary revisions, and to funding tensions reported in discussions involving the European Research Council and national academies. Concerns raised in reviews echo issues addressed in meetings of the Society for Classical Studies and in journals like Mnemosyne and Classical Philology regarding regional representation, digitization priorities, and relations with cultural heritage authorities including UNESCO and ICOMOS.

Category:Epigraphy Category:Classical studies organizations