Università Roma Tre

Pierfrancesco PORENA, Latin Epigraphy (Master degree) (36 hours - 6 ECTS)
DISCIPLINARY FIELD: L-ANT/03

“Aristocracy by birth, aristocracy by service. The inscriptions of the praetorian prefects of the 4th century”.
The praetorian prefecture was reformed by Constantine the sole Augustus between 326 and 328 AD. The transformation of the office from a role dangerously close to the Augusti to the top of the diocesan and provincial administration, definitively distant from the person of the emperor, explains the evolution of the typology of epigraphic messages relating to the late antique praetorian prefects. The new institutional status of the office in the 4th century had important epigraphic reflections on the typology and preservation of the inscribed monuments erected in honour of the prefects and commissioned by the prefects themselves. It is possible to reflect on the consistency and representativeness of this surviving epigraphic materials.The student is asked to reconstruct the historical context of the careers of the prefects, to formulate hypotheses on the paths of realization and preservation of the inscribed monuments, as well as to outline the social profile of this aristocracy at the top of the late Roman Empire: the aristocracy by birth, and the aristocracy of individuals ascended for their meritorious service.

Attending Students: Handouts (PDFs) and materials provided by the teacher at the beginning of the course and during the lessons.

Non-attending Students:
- A. Buonopane, Manuale di epigrafia latina, NUOVA EDIZIONE, Roma (Carocci) 2020 (contiene link con la traduzione italiana dei testi epigrafici esaminati) [mandatory];
- Terme di Diocleziano. La collezione epigrafica, edited by R. Friggeri, M.G. Granino Cecere, G. Gregori, Milan (Electa) 2012 [757 pp. - € 49,00]: mandatory study of Room I + 4 Rooms of your choice.
Exercises: Visit to the 'Epigraphic Collection' of the National Roman Museum at the Baths of Diocletian in Rome.