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Primary Sources: Editing and Digital Documentation

SGRA has produced numerous publications of inscriptions, coins, archaeological finds, and other types of primary material. At the same time, in the field of digital documentation, it develops digital databases of primary sources, expanding the dissemination of knowledge via the web. The systematic collection and critical publication of primary sources constitute a fundamental basis for the scholarly research conducted within the framework of the other four research hubs.

Epigraphic Corpora and Studies

Since its foundation as Center for Greek and Roman Antiquity, one of the main objectives of the Section of Greek and Roman Antiquity has been the emphasis on the study of primary epigraphic material. The identification of Greek and Latin inscriptions, their documentation, the creation of an archive of squeezes, as well as the publication of both individual inscriptions and comprehensive epigraphic corpora, has been one of the fundamental priorities of SGRA, which has now been internationally recognized as the preeminent Greek institution for epigraphic publications.

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Prosopographic and onomastic studies

The Section of Greek and Roman Antiquity is one of the pioneering and internationally recognized institutions where systematic study of prosopography and onomastics, both Greek and Roman, is conducted. These are two fundamental and interconnected tools for studying the history of ancient societies. The Section of Greek and Roman Antiquity has published numerous prosopographical and onomastic studies focused on cities of Macedonia, Thrace, the Peloponnese, the islands of the Cyclades, and Crete.

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Numismatic Corpora and Studies

The collection and publication of numismatic material, and its use as a primary source for the study of ancient history, has been from the outset one of the main objectives of the Section of Greek and Roman Antiquity. Various methods are employed to achieve this scholarly goal:

A. The collection and publication, in the form of a corpus, of all surviving coins issued by a specific authority (city, koinon, or kingdom), whether housed in museums and collections in Greece or abroad, or found in excavations. This material is studied in conjunction with other historical and archaeological evidence, contributing substantially to our understanding of the institutions, economy, and religious life of the issuing authority.

B. The synthetic presentation of coins from a broader geographical area within a specific chronological period, usually within the context of collective projects, offers a more comprehensive picture of the region in question. It highlights the relationships between the cities or other political entities that compose a given region, while also allowing comparisons with other regions. These synthetic studies are a valuable resource for historians and archaeologists who may not have easy access to numismatic material.

C. The publication of a coin collection. Even when the material is geographically and chronologically diverse, such publications make it known to the wider scholarly community and allow for its use in more specialized studies.

D. The analysis, by specialized laboratories, of the coin alloys constitutes an interdisciplinary research method that provides valuable insights into the fiscal and monetary policy of a given state.

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Archaeological sources

Archaeological research has the power to shed light on aspects of social organization and historical transformations that are not always recorded in written sources. Archaeological remains constitute primary historical sources that coexist with epigraphic and literary testimonies and, in many cases, represent the only available evidence for social groups, practices, and regions that would otherwise remain silent in the historical record.

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