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Unknown Maker, Roman

Tablet with Greek transcription of Letter from Emperor Hadrian to Common Assembly of Macedonians
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Roman

Culture

Roman

Title

Tablet with Greek transcription of Letter from Emperor Hadrian to Common Assembly of Macedonians

Period

Hadrianic period

Year

136-137 CE

Medium

  • marble

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • marble

Materials

marble

Geography

Origin: Mount Pentelikon near Athens

Dimensions

75.3 x 48.3 x 3 cm (29 5/8 x 19 x 1 3/16 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Mary B. Jackson Fund

Object Number

1988.060

Type

  • Sculpture

Publications

  • Journal

Manual / Issue 2: Loreum Ipsum

Articles

Reading Inscribed Letters from Roman Macedonia

Exhibition History

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries
Sep 22, 2010

Label copy

This inscription, a carving of a letter from Hadrian to an assembly of Macedonians, offers a glimpse into the state of Macedonian politics in the 2nd century CE. Remains of pigment indicate that the text was originally painted red to make it more visible; it would have been mounted on a wall in a central location for everyone to read.

In the letter, Hadrian states that in accordance with the request of a delegation from Macedon, all Macedonian politicians must inform their chosen successors thirty days in advance when leaving office. The first six lines of the inscription give the full titles for the emperor, the seventh line addresses the assembly, the next six lines make up the substance of the official decree, and the remaining lines list the five members of the delegation and state the year. The decree itself takes up less than a third of the text.

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Roman
Tablet with Greek transcription of Letter from Emperor Hadrian to Common Assembly of Macedonians, 136-137 CE
Marble
75.3 x 48.3 x 3 cm (29 5/8 x 19 x 1 3/16 inches)
Mary B. Jackson Fund 1988.060

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Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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