Aureis litteris figenda. Readability, meaning, and diffusion of (gilded) bronze letters in the East under Nero

Aureis litteris figenda. Readability, meaning, and diffusion of (gilded) bronze letters in the East under Nero

This paper investigates two distinct, albeit intertwined, aspects of a specific set of ‘architectural inscriptions,’ namely, inscriptions with bronze letters (litterae aeratae) and gilded bronze letters (litterae auratae).

First, following the recent material turn in the study of ancient epigraphic cultures, this paper investigates the following questions: to what extant were these inscriptions visible and readable? What was their impact in term of visuality? To do so, I consider three different monumental inscriptions with bronze/gilded letters: (1) the Athenian honorific inscription for Nero running under the east pediment of the Parthenon (SEG XXXII 251; 61/2 CE); (2) Nero’s building inscription of the lighthouse in Patara (SEG LVII 1672; 64/5 CE); (3) the dedication mentioning Nero found recently on the orchestra of the theater of Nikopolis (Zachos 2015, 54; 66/7 CE). I focus on their design and formatting, where they were set up, and how they interacted with the medium on which they were inscribed or with other monuments in the vicinity.

Second, this paper makes a case for Nero’s role in the diffusion of this kind of inscriptions in the East. In fact, the three case-studies are the first attested Greek inscriptions with bronze/gilded letters in the eastern provinces. This fact, hitherto unrecognized by scholars, must be seriously considered when attempting to make sense of the adoption and diffusion of this specific epigraphic technique in the East. According to the traditional view, inscriptions with bronze/gilded letters served as an imperial symbol and even allegoric visualization of the Golden Age declared by Augustus; moreover, they were primarily intended to express the power of the imperial authority than to offer a readable text. At first sight, the close association with Augustus appears to be confirmed when we examine the Italian peninsula and some western provinces, especially in Hispania and Africa (Alföldy 1991, 2003, 2018; Stylow-Ventura 2013), where such inscriptions are closely related to Augustus and his entourage. Pace Posamentir 2017, however, Augustan influence is less visible in the eastern provinces. I argue that Nero (the new ‘Apollo:’ Suet. Nero 25, 53) played a significant role in the diffusion of this kind of inscription in the East, both promoting first-hand this new technique and fostering the local elites to adopt such new epigraphic forms, which had been unknown to the epigraphic habit of the Greeks.

In conclusion, the aim of my paper is to gauge the balance between the symbolic meaning of these inscriptions and their readability, with an eye on the intersection between imperial representation and local response to it.