Maintaining cultural balance: palmyrene bilingual inscriptions and roman imperialism
Palmyra was a city at the intersection of empires, histories, and languages. Between the first century B.C.E. and the third century C.E., thousands of inscriptions were commissioned by Palmyrenes in the dialect we call Palmyrene Aramaic—both in the city of Palmyra and throughout the Mediterranean an...
| Published in: | Biblical archaeology review |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Soc.
2020
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| In: |
Biblical archaeology review
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Palmyra
B Palmyra / Inscription / History / History 100 BC-100 / Syrische Wüste |
| IxTheo Classification: | HH Archaeology KBL Near East and North Africa |
| Summary: | Palmyra was a city at the intersection of empires, histories, and languages. Between the first century B.C.E. and the third century C.E., thousands of inscriptions were commissioned by Palmyrenes in the dialect we call Palmyrene Aramaic—both in the city of Palmyra and throughout the Mediterranean and ancient Near East. Some of these inscriptions are bilingual, including texts in both their native Palmyrene Aramaic and Latin, the language prominently associated with the Roman Empire. These bilingual inscriptions provide a window into the lives and culture of ancient Palmyra, especially into how the Palmyrenes responded to Roman influence and power. Despite Roman expansion into the ancient Near East, there are few inscriptions marking the concurrent use of both Latin and Palmyrene Aramaic. Twenty bilingual inscriptions (some of them trilingual, with an additional Greek text) are known today, found throughout the reaches of the former Roman Empire, some from as far north as Roman Britain. They appear on funerary monuments, dedicatory altars, and as graffiti. Though few in number, these inscriptions help us understand how the ancient Palmyrenes understood themselves within the Roman Empire, balancing their newfound “Romanness” with their traditional local identity. |
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| ISSN: | 0098-9444 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Biblical archaeology review
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