Du sollst dir ein Bildnis machen: Ehrungen für Götter (und Menschen) im epigraphisch-archäologischen Befund

Abstract

In this paper, all Latin religious inscriptions which record the dedication of an image to a higher power are compiled and comparatively analysed for the first time. There are nearly 1,700 such inscriptions containing the terms statua, imago, signum, sigillum, simulacrum, effigies and typus. They are discussed from the point of view of quantitative and qualitative aspects. These include their number, distribution, the dedicator and the divinities addressed as well as the use of the terms in connection with honorary or funerary monuments for individuals and deified rulers. The findings obtained from the epigraphic evidence are compared with corresponding observations that were made in the past with reference to literary sources. What relationship exists between the term used and the respective archaeological artefact is a question on which some initial perspectives can be developed. Above all, though, one urgent need becomes apparent: while the texts of Latin inscriptions in their entirety can now be easily accessed in searchable databases and by consulting print editions, there are at present almost no corresponding compilations of even minimal data on their materiality.