Manumission Inscriptions thought lost have been recovered

[guy]

Modern excavation of Butrint, Albania began in the 1920s under the direction of Mussolini’s fascist Italy. After WW II, however, the archaeological site was abandoned. Research has resumed, however, rescuing some of the archaeological finds.

 In the 4th century BC, the city (called Buthrotum by the Romans) had a Greek sanctuary to Asclepius and also large theater. In 228 BC Buthrotum became a Roman protectorate along with neighboring Corfu. The city later became a colony for retiring loyal troops, first under Caesar and later Augustus.

 The theater is known for its inscriptions carved on stone. The majority of these inscriptions deal with manumissions freeing slaves. Most of the slaves had Greek names with a few Latin exceptions. Unfortunately, most of these inscriptions were thought lost after being excavated in the the 20-30s.

The theatre at Butrint lay within a sanctuary complex devoted to the cult of Ascelpius. A set of inscriptions documenting the manumission of slaves were found when the theatre was excavated in 1928. Although the inscriptions have since degraded, an important new discovery provides an opportunity to see the texts as they appeared shortly after they were unearthed.

 

The inscriptions remain in place in the theatre, but, as these photographs show, the texts are no longer as legible as they were when first discovered.

 

Paper ‘squeezes’ made of at least some of the theatre inscriptions in the 1930s were unexpectedly found in Macerata, during lockdown in 2020. These three-dimensional copies of the letters reveal how legible the inscriptions were a few years after they were unearthed, allowing early readings of the texts to be checked. PHOTOS: Pierluigi Giorgi

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Morricone, who made the ‘squeezes’, divided the theatre inscriptions into three main groups, all of which broadly belong to the period from the 3rd to 2nd century BC.

Most of the inscriptions appear to be documents in stone concerning the freeing of slaves, many of whom were women. In total, 597 freed slaves are recorded, most of whom were released by using a combination of civil and religious formulae. Many slaves were freed by the same families, which suggests the existence of large landowners controlling the Butrint area. The inscriptions often show entire families numbering between two to eight individuals taking part in the ritual of freeing a slave.

https://the-past.com/feature/butrints-slave-manumissions-shedding-new-light-on-the-unesco-world-heritage-city/

 

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by guy