L’épigraphie au XXIe siècle

Texts inscribed on durable media (stone, metal, ceramics), analyzed through epigraphy, provide, along with papyrology, a direct written source for studying Classical Antiquity. These inscribed texts, which are fundamental to historical and philological research, are constantly being updated thanks not just to discoveries made during archaeological excavations, but also to the research of epigraphists, who regularly supply new readings and new commentaries. Epigraphy is also undergoing a major methodological revival thanks to the contribution of digital humanities. They have changed not only the way in which epigraphic texts are published, but also the way in which data are acquired. These transformations even have ethical implications for the way in which the history of Antiquity is currently written.

These developments form the subject-matter of this volume. It presents the results of five years of reflection, which were presented at the XVIth International Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy, held in Bordeaux in 2022, under the direction of epigraphists from the Institut Ausonius, in association with the International Association of Greek and Latin Epigraphy (AIEGL). To demonstrate the revival of epigraphy, to take stock of the advances made in our knowledge, and to examine the methodological, technical and ethical issues facing contemporary epigraphy, this book is organized around a series of syntheses, most of which derive from the plenary lectures given at the congress. These are divided into three sections. The first comprises a series of methodological syntheses and is entitled “Etudier, éditer, publier les inscriptions au XXIe siècle” (“Studying, editing and publishing inscriptions in the 21st century”). Here, particular attention is paid to the renewal of epigraphy thanks to the development of digital humanities. The second section, entitled “L'épigraphie grecque et latine: nouvelles méthodes, nouveaux objets, nouvelles syntheses” (“Greek and Latin epigraphy: new methods, new objects, new syntheses”) brings together a series of thematic reflections. The third section is devoted to geographical reports: “L'état de la recherche: bilans régionaux” (“The state of research: regional reports”).