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Introduction

A rich production of epigraphic poetry written in Greek flourished in the territories of the Greco-Roman world during the Imperial age (late 1st century BC-3rd century AD). A corpus of about two-thousand Greek metrical inscriptions exhibits significant diversity in the geographical, socio-historical, archaeological contexts, and the literary aspects. Indeed, a wide range of poetic forms is written and enjoyed by authors, clients, and recipients from various socio-cultural backgrounds.

There is currently no repository that allows for easy collection of data on the inscriptions from the corpus. The inscriptions are indeed scattered across various editions, which are often incomplete due to the discovery of new inscriptions following publication. The aim of the database is to gather the Greek metrical inscriptions from the Imperial Age into a single collection, providing the following data: the geographic provenance, the edition(s), the dating, the type of inscription (/literary genre), the clients and recipients, the author (when known), the type of meter, the length of the text, the epigraphic support (with references to the images), the layout (in relation to the metrical structure), external links to the other epigraphy related websites. The database will enable the collection of the entire corpus of the Greek metrical inscriptions from the Imperial age. It will be possible to expand the corpus at any time, whether new inscriptions are discovered or new editions of already known inscriptions are published. By including external links, a network of digital resources will be created. In this way, it will be easier to have access to the production of Greek epigraphic poetry from the Imperial age, in its various literary forms, and diverse geographical, archaeological, and socio-historical contexts.

The project has been initiated by Pietro Ortimini (University of Pisa) and currently revolves around the data he has collected within the scope of his doctoral thesis on the literary forms and metrics of the Greek metrical inscriptions from the Imperial Age (late 1st century BC-3rd century AD). As a future perspective, it would be desirable to expand the database to include the Greek metrical inscriptions from the Archaic and Classical period, Hellenistic Age and Late Antiquity.

The corpus: an overview

Geographic provenance	Inscriptions	Main epigraphic editions, corpora, and image repositories
Anatolian Peninsula (Provinciae Asiae, Bithyniae et Ponti, Galatiae et Cappadociae, Ciliciae)	A = B = (tot.: )	Steinepigramme I, II, III/13-16, IV/17-19, Staab 2018, Merisio 2024, I.Cilicie, I.Milet, IGSK, MAMA, Steinepigramme (ibid.), TAM/ETAM, Pfuhl/Möbius, Ostgr. Grabreliefs, I.Milet, I.Pergamon, I.Pergamon Asklepieion, Studia Pontica III, I.Sardis, Milet VI.1-3, Robert, Carie, Bean/Mitford, Rough Cilicia, Dömer 1941, I.British Mus., Marek/Adak 2016, Marek 2003, Ramsay, Phrygia, I.North Galatia, Stauber 2022
Near East (Armenia, Mesopotamia, Media, Syria, Iudaea, Arabia, Cipro)	A = B = (tot.: )	Steinepigramme III/12, IV/20-22, IGLS, CIIP
Egypt	A = B = (tot.: )	I. Egypte métriques, I.Philae, I.Colosse Memnon
Creta et Cyrene	A = B = (tot.: )	Greek Verse Inscriptions of Cyrenaica. Second edition, I.Cret.
North Africa (Africa Proconsularis, Numidia, Muretania)	A = B= (tot.: )	IRT
Achaia (Greece, Aegean/Ionian Islands, Macedonia/Epirus, Thrace)	A= B= (tot.: )	IG II,2, II/III2, II/III³, III, IV, IV2,1, V,1, V,2, VII, IX,1, IX,12, IX,2, X,2,1, X,2,2 XI,2,1, XI,2,2, XI,4, XII,1-9, XII Suppl., I.Beroia, IGBulg, Corinth VIII, I.Eleusis, I.Thespies, I.Vallée Enipeus, I.Ano Maked., I.Thrake Aeg., I.Perinthos, IGSK 58, I.Ano Maked., I.Thrake Aeg., I.Perinthos, I.Rhénée
Italy (Regiones I-XI), Roma, Sicilia, Sardinia et Corsica	A= B= (tot.: )	IG XIV, IGUR, I.Aquileia, IG Locri, I.Messina, IG Napoli, IG Porto, IG Puglia, IG Ravenna, IGLMPalermo, IG Reggio Calabria, IG Velia, I.Mus. Catania
Western Europe (Britannia, Gallia, Germania, Hispania)	A= B= (tot.:)	IG XIV, IG France, LatinNow, RIB
Eastern Europe (Raetia, Noricum, Pannonia, Dalmatia, Dacia, Moesia, Cimmerian Bosporus)	A= B= (tot.: )	IGBulg, I.Histria, IG Dacia, I.Chr. România, I.Mésie Sup., IG Pannonia³, Telamon
Non-geographic corpora	Cougny 1890; Kaibel, Epigrammata; Peek, GVI, Hunter 2022, AE, BE, SEG, https://cil.bbaw.de/ace/search?page=1 https://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/squeeze-collection-0 https://www.britishmuseum.org/ https://www.e-stampages.eu/s/e-stampages/page/accueil https://mizar.unive.it/venicesqueeze/public/frontend/index https://lupa.at/ http://laststatues.classics.ox.ac.uk/

Types of inscriptions (P6)

• Epitaphs
• Honorific inscriptions / celebrative inscriptions
• Dedications, Prayers, Hymns
• Oracles
• Ritual inscriptions, informative/didactic inscriptions
• inscriptions, warnings, curses

Layout (P15)

1. A.1 The layout does not follow the metrical structure

   A.1a The layout does not follow the metrical structure and no attention is paid to word endings (e.g. GVCyr008)

   A.1b The layout does not follow the metrical structure and attention is paid to word endings / certain parts of the text are highlighted (e.g. GVCyr051)

2. A.2 The layout follows the metrical structure

   A.2a 1 line = 1 verse (e.g. I.Egypte métriques 26)

   eisthesis of pentameters (e.g. I.Egypte métriques 68) / vacat at the central caesura (e.g. IG IV²,1 436 )

   A.2b Verses written as prose, with vacat and/or signs (e.g. colon, dicolon, hedera, diple), which indicate the end of the verse (e.g. IG XIV 2564)

   A.2c Verses arranged on multiple (two/three) lines

   A.2c.1 Verses arranged on two/three lines without eisthesis of the second/third line, with vacat and/or sign to indicate the end of the verse (e.g. IG IX 1², 4, 1498 )

   A.2c.2 Verses arranged on two/three lines with eisthesis of the second/third line and possibly vacat and/or sign to indicate the end of the verse (e.g. IGUR III 1163, I.Mus. Catania 24)

   A.2.c.3 Mixed layout types A.2.c.1-A.2.c.4 (e.g. IG IX 1², 4, 1497)

   A.2c.1-3 Verse division based on the caesurae (this subcategory includes inscriptions that exhibit verse division based on caesuras in at least 50% of the verses, e.g. I.Egypte métriques 49, Steinepigramme 06/02/20, Peek, GVI 588)

   A.3 Mixed layout types A.1-A.2a-c.1-3 (e.g. IGUR III 1272)

Geographic provenance	A.1	A.2a	A.2b	A.2c.1-3	A.3	(A.2c 1-5/A.3 % sul tot. di A.2c 1-4/A.3)
Anatolian Peninsula (Provinciae Asiae, Bithyniae et Ponti, Galatiae et Cappadociae, Ciliciae)	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %
Near East (Armenia, Mesopotamia, Media, Syria, Iudaea, Arabia, Cipro)	A = %, B = %	A = % , B = %	A = %, B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %
Egypt	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %
Creta et Cyrene	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %
North Africa (Africa Proconsularis, Numidia, Muretania)	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %
Achaia (Greece, Aegean/Ionian Islands, Macedonia/Epirus, Thrace)	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %
Italy (Regiones I-XI), Roma, Sicilia, Sardinia et Corsica	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %
Western Europe (Britannia, Gallia, Germania, Hispania)	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %
Eastern Europe (Raetia, Noricum, Pannonia, Dalmatia, Dacia, Moesia, Cimmerian Bosporus)	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %	A = % , B = %

Query

Introduction

• Thematic queries have been created (see below) fot those who are not familiar with SPARQL query service.
• To start the query and obtain the data, use the function at the bottom left execute query (CTRL + ENTER).

• Wikidata - Full list of prefixes
• Full list of prefixes of the greek-metrical-inscriptions wikibase:

 PREFIX bd: <http://www.bigdata.com/rdf#>
 PREFIX cc: <http://creativecommons.org/ns#>
 PREFIX dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>
 PREFIX geo: <http://www.opengis.net/ont/geosparql#>
 PREFIX hint: <http://www.bigdata.com/queryHints#> 
 PREFIX ontolex: <http://www.w3.org/ns/lemon/ontolex#>
 PREFIX owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#>
 PREFIX prov: <http://www.w3.org/ns/prov#>
 PREFIX rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#>
 PREFIX rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#>
 PREFIX schema: <http://schema.org/>
 PREFIX skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#>
 PREFIX wikibase: <http://wikiba.se/ontology#>
 PREFIX xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#>

 PREFIX gp: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/>
 PREFIX gpq: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/qualifier/>
 PREFIX gpqn: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/qualifier/value-normalized/>
 PREFIX gpqv: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/qualifier/value/>
 PREFIX gpr: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/reference/>
 PREFIX gprn: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/reference/value-normalized/>
 PREFIX gprv: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/reference/value/>
 PREFIX gpsv: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/statement/value/>
 PREFIX gps: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/statement/>
 PREFIX gpsn: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/statement/value-normalized/>
 PREFIX gd: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/entity/>
 PREFIX gdno: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/novalue/>
 PREFIX gdref: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/reference/>
 PREFIX gds: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/entity/statement/>
 PREFIX gdt: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/direct/>
 PREFIX gdtn: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/prop/direct-normalized/>
 PREFIX gdv: <https://greek-metrical-inscriptions.wikibase.cloud/value/>

• cf. https://hypotheseis.wikibase.cloud/wiki/Query

Edition

• All editions

Provenance

Egypt

• Egypt - region
• Antinooupolis

Cyrenaica

• Cyrene

Western Europe

Germania

• Germania - region
• Stockstadt am Mainz

A

• first century AD
• second century AD
• second/third century AD
• beginning of the third century AD
• third century AD

B

Type of inscription

• epitaphs

• honorific inscriptions

• dedication

• oracles

Meter

• elegiac couplets

• hexameter

Layout

• A.1
• A.2a
• A.2b
• A.2c.1
• A.2c.2
• A.2.c.3
• A.2c.1-3
• A.3

Links

Digital epigraphic corpora

• Searchable Greek Inscriptions
• Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
• Inscriptiones Graecae
• Greek Verse Inscriptions of Cyrenaica
• Greek Verse Inscriptions of Cyrenaica. Second edition
• Telamon
• I.Sicily
• I Carmina Epigraphica Graeca di Peter Allan Hansen:un supplemento online (CEGS)
• Epigraphic Database Roma (EDR)
• Hispania Epigraphica
• EDF - Epigraphic Database Falsae
• Epigraphic Database Heidelberg
• Epigraphic Database Bari project (EDB)
• Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum Online

Related databases

• Epigraphische Datenbank zum antiken Kleinasien
• LatinNow

Related digital projects

• MAPPOLA
• CARMEN
• europeana - eagle project

Related wikibases

https://hypotheseis.wikibase.cloud/

Bibliography

• AE = Année Épigraphique.
• BE = Bulletin Épigraphique in Revue des Études Grecques (1938-).
• CIIP = (Various edd.) Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palestinae. A Multilingual Corpus of the Inscriptions from Alexander to Muhammad, Berlin 2010-.
• Cougny 1890 = Epigrammatum Anthologia Palatina cum Planudeis et appendice nova epigrammatum veterum ex libris et marmoribus ductorum […], III, instr. E. C., Parisiis 1890.
• Hunter 2022 = Greek Epitaphic Poetry. A Selection, ed. by R. H., Cambridge 2022.
• I.Ancyra = S. Mitchell, D. French, The Greek and Latin Inscriptions of Ankara (Ancyra) I. From Augustus to the End of the Third Century AD, Munich 2012; IΙ. Late Roman, Byzantine and Other Texts, Munich 2019.
• I.Ano Maked. = T.Rizakis, G.Touratsoglou, Ἐπιγραφὲς Ἄνω Μακεδονίας(Ἐλίμεια, Ἐορδαία, Νότια Λυγκηστίς, Ὀρεστίς): Τόμος Α΄. Κατάλογος ἐπιγραφῶν, Athens 1985.
• I.Aquileia = J. Brusin, Inscriptiones Aquileiae, I-III, Udine 1991-1993.
• I.Beroia = L.Gounaropoulou, M.B.Hatzopoulos, Ἐπιγραφὲς Κάτω Μακεδονίας (μεταξὺ τοῦ Βερμίου Ὄρους καὶ τοῦ Ἀξιοῦ Ποταμοῦ). Τεῦχος Αʹ. Ἐπιγραφὲς Βεροίας, Athens 1998.
• I.Cilicie = G. Dagron, D. Feissel, Inscriptions de Cilicie, Paris 1 987.
• I.Colosse Memnon = É. Bernand, Les inscriptions grecques et latines du Colosse de Memnon, Cairo 1960.
• I.Cos Segre = M. Segre, Iscrizioni di Cos, I-II, Rome 1994.
• I.Cret. = M. Guarducci, Inscriptiones Creticae, Rome 1935-1950.
• I.Égypte métriques = É. Bernand, Inscriptions métriques de l’Égypte gréco-romaine, Paris 1969.
• IG = Inscriptiones Graecae, Berlin 1873-.
• IGBulg = Inscriptiones Graecae in Bulgaria repertae, I-V, Sofia 1956-1997.
• IG Cyrenaica Verse = J.M. Reynolds, C. Roueché, Greek Verse Inscriptions of Cyrenaica, Bologna 2017.
• IG France = J.-C. Decourt, Inscriptions grecques de la France, Lyon 2004.
• IG Napoli = E. Miranda, Iscrizoni greche d’Italia: Napoli, I-II, Roma,1990, 1995.
• IG Ravenna = A. Bencivenni, Ravenna. Le iscrizioni greche, Milan 2018.
• IGSK = Inschriften griechischer Städte aus Kleinasien, Bonn 1972-.
• IGUR = L. Moretti, Inscriptiones Graecae Urbis Romae, Rome 1968-1990.
• I.Histria = Inscriptiones Daciae et Scythiae Minoris Antiquae, Series Altera. Inscriptiones Scythiae Minoris Graecae et Latinae, I. Inscriptiones Histriae et Viciniae, Bucharest 1983.
• I.Mus.Catania = K. Korhonen, Le iscrizioni del Museo Civico di Catania. Storia delle collezioni, Helsinki/Tammisaari 2004.
• I.North Galatia = S.Mitchell, D.H.French, J.Greenhalgh, The Ankara District: The Inscriptions of North Galatia, RECAM II, Oxford 1982.
• I.Pergamon = M. Fraenkel, Die Inschriften von Pergamon, I-II, Berlin 1890-1895.
• I.Pergamon Asklepieion = C. Habicht, Altertümer von Pergamon. VIII 3. Die Inschriften des Asklepieions, Berlin 1969.
• I.Perinthos = M.H.Sayar, Perinthos-Herakleia (Marmara Ereğlisi) und Umgebung. Geschichte, Testimonien, griechische und lateinische Inschriften, Vienna 1998.
• I.Philae = A. Bernand, Les inscriptions grecques de Philae, I, Paris 1969.
• IG Porto = G. Sacco, Iscrizioni greche d’Italia. Porto, Rome 1984.
• I.Rhénée = M.-T.Dinahet-Couillod, Exploration archéologique de Délos 30. Les monuments funéraires de Rhénée, Paris 1974.
• IRT = M.J. Reynolds, J.B. Ward Perkins, The Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania, Rome 1952.
• I.Sardis = W.H. Buckler, D.M. Robinson, Sardis, VII. Greek and Latin Inscriptions, Leiden 1932.
• I.Thrake Aeg. = L.D. Loukopoulou et alii, Ἐπιγραφὲς τῆς Θράκης τοῦ Αἰγαίου μεταξὺ τῶν ποταμῶν Νέστου καὶ Ἕβρου (Νομοὶ Ξάνθης, Ροδόπης καὶ Ἕβρου), Athens 2005.
• I.Vallée Enipeus = J.-C. Decourt, Inscriptions de Thessalie. I. Les cités de la valle de l’Enipeus, Paris 1995.
• Kaibel, Epigrammata = G. Kaibel, Epigrammata Graeca ex lapidibus collecta, Berlin 1878.
• IGLS = Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie, I-XXI/5, Beyrouth, Paris, 1929-.
• MAMA = Monumenta Asiae Minoris Antiqua, I-X, London 1928-1993.
• Merisio 2024 = E.N. M., Le iscrizioni metriche greche della Frigia orientale. Ed., trad. e comm., Berlin-Boston 2024.
• Milet VI.1 = P. Herrmann, Inschriften von Milet, Teil 1: B. Nachträge und Übersetzungen zu den Inschriften n. 1-406, Berlin-New York 1997.
• Peek, GVI = W. Peek, Griechische Vers-Inschriften, I, Berlin 1955.
• SEG = Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Leiden 1923-.
• Staab 2018 = G. S., Gebrochener Glanz. Klassische Tradition und Alltagswelt im Spiegel neuer und alter Grabepigramme des griechischen Ostens, Berlin-Boston 2018.
• Steinepigramme = R. Merkelbach, J. Stauber, Steinepigramme aus dem griechischen Osten. I. Die Westküste Kleinasiens von Knidos bis Ilion, Stuttgart-Leipzig 1998. II. Die Nordküste Kleinasiens (Marmarameer und Pontos), München-Leipzig 2001. III. Der “Ferne Osten” und das Landesinnere bis zum Tauros, München 2001. IV. Die Südküste Kleinasiens, Syrien und Palaestina, München 2002. V. Register, München-Leipzig 2004.
• TAM = Tituli Asiae Minoris, I; II 1-3; III 1; IV 1; V 1-3, Vienna 1901-1989.