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ANCIENT GREEK AND LATIN

 

I offer a translation service, provided by an academic through me.

This covers inscribed rings, seals, stele and the like.

 

Photographs

Working from good pics is perfectly feasible: use a directional light, not overall overhead lighting as this is usually a better way to capture flat inscriptions.  The light might need to be carefully directed at a very oblique angle to catch the inscription well.

For inscriptions in intaglio an appropriately illuminated photo of the impression in plasticene would be helpful as well.

 

Authenticity.

The authenticity of engraved stone or metal cannot be guaranteed merely because the inscription is internally consistent and correct but a badly bodged inscription on a fake often gives it away.

 

 

 

Prices  

 

PLEASE NOTE: As from  March 2008 I have been obliged to add 17.5% VAT to these fees for people within the EU.

So, the prices shown in brackets here are inclusive of VAT for EU residents but the lower price is for the rest of the world.

 

 

VERY ABREVIATED VOTIVE INSCRIPTION ON RING, SEAL OR THE LIKE

£30 (With VAT £35.25)

SHORT INSCRIPTION ON RING, SEAL, FRAGMENTARY STELE OR ROMAN MILITARY DIPLOMA OR THE THE LIKE

Up to around 10 characters.

£50. (With VAT £58.75)

SHORT OR FRAGMENTARY INSCRIPTION ON RING, SEAL, FRAGMENTARY ROMAN DIPOMA  OR FRAGMENTARY STELE OR THE LIKE

Up to around 10 words.

£70. (With VAT £82.25)

MEDIUM TO LONG or COMPLEX INSCRIPTION: you would get a quote for the work.

 

 

 

If your piece is thought to be fake by virtue of an incorrect inscription there would be some commentary on this.  

 

How you can help 

 

I would very much like to place some of the images of the pieces (or just the text parts, if collectors would prefer not to have their pieces shown) on my website along with the reading work. 

This would allow us to develop a database which would help us illiterates to start learning to recognise and read  the commonly found types of inscriptions

When you get in touch with me please let me know one way or the other. Attribution to you by name, by your membership ID or anonymously: whatever you prefer. 

 

 

If you are interested in this sevice, contact me!

 

Readings by Ittai Gradel, D.Phil.

 

An example of what you can learn about  a mere fragment, from this special service: take a fragment of Roman military diploma as  an example:

 

 




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  • Fragment of a military diploma issued to a soldier serving in an auxiliary unit in Mauretania Tingitana, datable to Antoninus Pius, tribunician power for the 24th time (i. e. AD 161, on or before 7th March, when Antoninus died).
  • It is particularly nice that this one it can be dated so precisely, as it happened to be issued in the year of the emperor's death.

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Here is a nice example of how much of the original text can be "restored" and understood from only a small fragment  from a diploma.

This fragment is only 40mm x 33mm.

 



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And yet...............

 

 

Part of a diploma issued under Antoninus Pius (138-61) to auxiliaries stationed in Moesia Superior, AD 158-59.

 

I have restored text to the point of textual overlap between obverse and reverse.

 

Tabella I extrinsecus (obverse):

 

[imp(erator) caes(ar) divi hadriani f(ilius) divi traiani]

[part(hici) nepos divi ne]RVAE [pron(epos) t(itus) aelius]

[hadrianus anto]NINVS AVG(ustus) PIVS

[pont(ifex) max(imus) trib(unicia) pot(estate) xxii] IMP(erator) II CO(n)S(ul) IIII P(ater)  P(atriae)

[equitibus et peditibus qu]I MILIT(averunt) IN ALIS

[ii quae appell(antur) i claudia] NOVA MISCELL(anea)

[et gallorum flaviana et c]OHORT(ibus) X

[v gallor(um) et v hispanor(um) et i mont]ANOR(um)

[et i antioc(hensium) et i cretum et iii campest]R(is)

[et ii gallor(um) et iii britton(um) et i lusitano]R(um)

[et i pann(oniorum) et sunt in moesia sup(eriore)]

etc

 

Tabella I intus (reverse):

 

[... et sunt in moesia superiore]

[sub c]VRTI[o iusto leg(ato) xxv stip(endiis) emer(itis)]

[dimis(sis) h]ON[est(a) mission(e) quor(um) nom(ina)]

[subscr(ipta) s]VNT [civit(atem) Roman(am) qui eor(um) non]

[hab(erent) d]EDIT ET [conub(ium) cum uxorib(us)]

[qu]AS TVN[c habuis(sent) cum est civit(as) iis dat(a) aut cum iis]

[q]VAC(sic!) POST(ea) [duxiss(ent)]

 

 

Cf CIL XVI, 111:

Imp(erator)   Caes(ar)   divi   [Hadriani   f(ilius)   divi   Traiani] / Parth(ici) n(epos) divi Nervae [pronep(os) T(itus) Aelius  Ha]/drianus Antoni[nus Aug(ustus) Pius pont(ifex) max(imus)] / tr(ibunicia)  pot(estate) XXIII im[p(erator) II co(n)s(ul) IV p(ater) p(atriae)] /  equit(ibus) et ped(itibus) qui mil(itaverunt) in [alis II quae appel(lantur) I  Claud(ia)] / nov(a) miscel(lanea) et I Gall(orum) Fla[vian(a) et coh(ortibus) X  V Gallor(um)   et   V]   /   Hisp(anorum)   et   I   Mont(anorum)   et   I   Antioc(hensium)   [et   I  Cretum et III campestr(is)] / et II Gall(orum) et III Britton(um) et [I  Lusit(anorum) et I Pann(oniorum)] / et sunt in Moesia   sup(eriore)   [sub   Pontio    Sabi]/no   leg(ato)   XXV   stip(endiis)   emer(itis)  di[missis honest(a) mission(e) quor(um)] / nom(ina) subscr(ipta) sunt ci[vit(atem) Roman(am) qui eor(um)  non] / hab(erent) ded(it) et conub(ium) [cum uxorib(us) quas tunc] /  habuis(sent)  cum est [civit(as) iis dat(a) aut cum iis] / quas post(ea) duxi[ss(ent) //  Imp(erator) Caes(ar) divi Hadriani f(ilius) divi Tra/iani Parth(ici) nep(os)  divi Nervae   pronep(os)   /   T(itus)   Aelius   Hadrianus   Antoninus   Aug(ustus)   Pius   /  pont(ifex) max(imus) tr(ibunicia) pot(estate) XXIII imp(erator) II co(n)s(ul)  IV p(ater) p(atriae) / equitib(us) et pedit(ibus) qui milit(averunt) in alis II  quae / appel(lantur) I Claud(ia) nova miscel(lanea) et I Gallor(um) Fla/vian(a)  et coh(ortibus) X V Gallor(um) et V Hispan(orum) et I / Montan(orum) et I  Antioc(hensium) et I Cretum et III / campestr(is) et II Gallor(um) et III  Britton(um) et / [I] Lusitan(orum) et I Pann(oniorum) et sunt in Moesia   / [s]uper(iore)   sub   Pontio   Sabino   leg(ato)   quin[q(ue)]  / [et] vigint(i)  stipend(iis) emerit(is) dim[is(sis) honest(a)] / [miss]ion(e) quor(um) nomin(a)  sub[scr(ipta)] / [sunt c]ivitat(em) Roman(am) qui [eor(um) non] / [haber(ent)  ded]it et conub(ium) [

 

  • The remains of the imperial titulature identify the emperor as Antoninus Pius and date the fragment to the period between 145 (when the emperor became consul for the fourth time) and his death in 161. The fragment is clearly located in Moesia Superior by the mention of the unit (ala) ‘[i claudia] NOVA MISCELL(anea)’, stationed in that particular province. The text on the reverse narrows down the date to AD 158-9 (see below). Most of the text can then be restored from two similar diplomas from Moesia Superior: CIL XVI, 111 of AD 159-60; and the completely preserved RMD 55 (= AE 1972, 657) of AD 161 (both copied below). The units mentioned and listed - in the same order - in both these texts would have been the same in the fragment’s text which likewise mentions 2 alae (the number is not preserved, but the name of one ala is - I Claudia Nova Miscellanea - and there is room for the name of only one more ala in the fragment) and 10 cohortes (here the number is preserved).
  • The reverse is rather badly written; however, the important reading VRTI in line 1 seems certain. In this location of the text the letters must be part of the governor’s name at the time. C. Curtius Iustus is indeed recorded as governor of Moesia Superior in 158-9, and I have accordingly restored the text with his name and this date (hence the emperor’s trib. pot. xxii). See Miroslava Mirkovic, ‘New Fragments of Military Diplomas from Viminacium’, Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 126 (1999), 251f for a similar fragment – apparently a copy of the same document as our text - and commentary (on the web: http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/ifa/zpe/downloads/1999/126pdf/126249.pdf).
  • I have restored the text to the point of textual overlap between obverse and reverse.  Full stop is used for subscript dot: remains of letter with uncertain reading.

 

 By Ittai Gradel, D.Phil.