Skip to Main Content

Classics and Ancient History Subject Guide: Epigraphy

Subject Guide - help and guidance on finding resources in your subject area

Epigraphy

Photo by Phillip Hughes / CC BY-NC-ND

Trismegistos

Print sources

The Library holds a variety of print sources for epigraphy, from general guides to the large print collections (corpora). Most can be found in the linguistics section: 470's for Latin and 480's for Greek, but do check the catalogue as useful material is sometimes found elsewhere.

Where to start

General guides can be found in library collections, e.g.

Epigraphic Evidence: Ancient History from Inscriptions / edited by John Bodel, 1998

Reading Roman inscriptions / John Rogan, 2006

Sources for ancient history / edited by Michael Crawford, 1983

The study of Greek inscriptions / A.G. Woodhead, 2nd ed. 1981
 

Inscriptiones Graecae is the main corpus for Greek inscriptions. Detailed information for all published volumes can be found on the publication website. Please note that not all volumes for this corpus are in stock: volumes available are at 481.7 INS/X in the Forum Library.

There are additions to Inscriptiones Graecae, often published as separate volumes based around archaeological sites. Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum (SEG) aims to provide the full text of all inscriptions outside the corpora as they as published, with some short notes on them. SEG is available online, via the A-Z databases list. The publisher provides a brief introduction on YouTube. Other updates to the corpora can be found in region-specific publications such as Epigraphica Anatolica.

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) is the main Latin corpus: detailed information for all volumes can be found on the publication website. Not all volumes are in stock: those that are available can be found at 471.7 COR/X in the Forum Library. Note that some (older, out of copyright) volumes have been scanned and are freely available online (links to the volumes are on the publication website). Roman Inscriptions of Britain is the series that followed CIL vol. VII (Britannia): there are numerous volumes in stock in the Forum Library at 913.4205 ROM.

A variety of publications update the Latin corpora, including L'Annee Epigraphique and Journal of Roman Studies.

Online sources

Saxa Loquuntur is an excellent place to look for more in depth advice and support on using Latin and especially Greek inscriptions.

Attic Inscriptions Online publishes inscriptions from Athens and Attica in English translation.

EAGLE (Electronic Archive of Greek and Latin Epigraphy) searches across 4 epigraphic databases (most of the content is Latin).

Searchable Greek Inscriptions is based on the CD-ROM from the Packard Humanities Institute.

Contact Us or Give Feedback