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Book Chapter

Monumental Transformations: Two Copies of a Letter from Hadrian at Aphrodisias

  • Abigail Graham

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.

  • Keywords:
  • epigraphy; monumental documents; copies; Aphrodisias; ancient viewers.,
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Abigail Graham

University of London, United Kingdom - ORCID: 0000-0001-9710-2035

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  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Pages: 257-275
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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Chapter Information

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

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

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

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

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

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