Wanderherden in Apulien: Pietro Polidori, Theodor Mommsen und CIL IX 2826

Abstract

CIL IX 2826 is considered the latest evidence of transhumance in late-antique Italy. Theodor Mommsen published the inscription in 1882 based on a manuscript by Pietro Polidori (1698–1748); the original had been lost even then. However, Polidori himself had not seen the inscription either, but relied on a copy made by Virgilio Caprioli (1548–1608). Mommsen assumed that the text was a «constitution» of a Gothic king and supplemented the surviving remains accordingly. The article attempts to show that it is in fact the edict of a late Roman prefect. It analyses the transmission of the text, sketches out the geographical and economic context, and proposes new supplements in line with this interpretation. It is not possible to date the edict with certainty; however, there are indications that it was issued during the reign of Valentinian I.