Center for Epigraphical and Paleographical Studies Snapshot

The Ohio State University Center for Epigraphical and Palaeographical Studies is the only comprehensive research facility for the study of Greek and Latin inscriptions and manuscripts in the United States.Its purpose is to foster the study of inscriptions and manuscripts and promote research opportunities for scholars studying the ancient Greek, Roman, and Medieval world.

At a Glance

A collection of nearly 6,000 “squeezes” (accurate paper impressions of inscriptions)
40,000-50,000 offprints of journal articles
10,000 inscription photographs
700 microfilmed manuscripts

Events

The center hosts an annual conference, Texts and Contexts, each fall at Ohio State, attracting scholars from all over the U.S. and Europe.

Ohio State Latin MS 5, Ferrara, Italy 1438

Summer Epigraphy Course

International Summer Course in Greek and Latin Epigraphy: With support from the American Society of Greek and Latin Epigraphy, the center holds Summer Epigraphy Courses every few years. The program acquaints senior graduate students and junior faculty from the U.S. and Europe with the tools, methods, and problems of epigraphy, and to enable them to use the resource of inscriptions in their teaching and research. The next course is slated for summer 2013.

Virginia Brown

Virginia Brown, senior fellow emeritus of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, died in 2009. She had been a supporter of the Epigraphical and Palaeographic Studies Center since its beginning. The center received the following bequests from her estate:

The Virginia Brown Library Collection—Virginia’s scholarly library, particularly strong in material related to the Beneventan script, will be used extensively by Ohio State students and visiting scholars
The Virginia Brown Papers: Virginia’s working papers are housed at the center, and include many of her notes on Beneventan manuscripts, working drafts of articles, memorabilia, and more
The Virginia Brown Fellowship in Palaeographical Studies: The center offers one- to four-month visiting fellowships for scholars to conduct research among the center’s collections and holdings
The Virginia Brown Memorial Lecture in Manuscript Studies—an annual lecture

Database Project

The center is a long-time participant in a project to create a comprehensive database of Greek epigraphical texts, with funding and technical support from the Packard Humanities Institute in Los Angeles. The Center has contributed material to a searchable, web-based database.
The comprehensive resource includes Greek inscriptions originating from the entire Greek world, from Russia to Great Britain to Greece, and is a rich resource for scholars in history, art history, archaeology, and other areas focusing on the ancient world.

1.2012