Epigraphy and Iconology of Antiquity and Medieval Ages
Main Researcher
Researchers in the Group (Ph.D. Only)
Other Researchers in the Group (Ph.D. Only)
Other Researchers in the Group (non Ph.D.)
Armando José Mariano Redentor
Cristina Fernandes de Oliveira
Objectives and Achievements
General Objectives
The documentary collection and the detailed analysis to which it will be submitted will constitute an essential prerequisite for the study of ancient Pre-Roman religion and will also facilitate an understanding of the singular phenomenon of religious acculturation which took place during Roman times.
Research into indigenous divinities has been carried out in a rather disjointed fashion. After the first major collection of work which appeared in the mid 1970s (see, for example, Divindades Indígenas sob o Domínio Romano em Portugal, (Indigenous Divinities in Roman Portugal) by José d’Encarnação, Imprensa Nacional, 1975), new divinities were identified and new linguistic analyses soon followed. However, an overall view is still lacking and, above all, a framework for what took place in Lusitania in terms of the wider Roman territory. In relation to this, the recent discovery of the sanctuary to Endovélico (Endovellicus) has opened up some very new perspectives.
To acquire an overall view of religious manifestations in the early era of the so-called period of ‘Romanisation’, thus testing the idea, already considered very plausible, that ‘peaceful coexistence’, in religious terms, was one of the political models most prudently employed by the Romans. The framework of the various peoples and their origins which formed the mosaic that eventually became Roman Lusitania – and, subsequently, Portugal – constitutes another, broader result.
Main Achievements
The main results obtained from the research developed in this area may be summarised under the following six points:
a) The great interest that studies into the indigenous divinities of Lusitania has aroused, not only amongst researchers in other Portuguese university centres, but also abroad. This was followed by published work on this theme - both articles and books – and we believe that this growing interest is not unconnected with the research work undertaken in Coimbra..
b) The successive discoveries of new monuments, which were promptly studied and the results published in the journal Ficheiro Epigráfico.
c) A significant Portuguese presence at international scientific meetings, meaning that a proposal to hold an annual workshop in Portugal in 2006 was easily accepted. The event was highly successful and the conference proceedings are being prepared for publication.
d) The great interest that studies of Roman roads in Lusitania has aroused, not only amongst researchers in other Portuguese university centres but also amongst local authorities. This was followed by related events (including the meetings that feature in this report) and we believe that this growing interest is not unconnected with the research work undertaken in Coimbra.
e) The successive discoveries of new monuments, which were promptly studied and the results published in the journal Ficheiro Epigráfico.
f) The corpus of milestones, which is practically complete and only requires the elements contained in each of the files to be adapted to the file format established by the Academy of Sciences in Berlin. This is one of the essential tasks that we must address over the coming years
Productivity
International publications
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, «Uma estela funerária romana de Ammaia reencontrada (IRCP 622)», Humanitas, 55, p. 335-340. De colab. com José Rafael C. da Silva, 2003.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, «Sobre a epigrafia romana do Algarve», Xelb, Silves, 4, 2003, p. 151-160.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, Euge, victores! Ou le culte de l´ambigüité», Serta Antiqua et Mediaevalia, VI, Roma, p. 167-173 , 2003.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, «Muros velhos, eloquentes letras…», Quarto Encontro de Arqueologia Urbana, Amadora, p. 187-193 , 2003.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. D,’«Emerita e civitas Igaeditanorum: uma relação bem registada na epigrafia», Eburobriga 1 2004 57-60.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’,«As manifestações religiosas, fonte para o estudo das comunicações – três exemplos», V Mesa Redonda Internacional sobre Lusitania Romana: Las Comunicaciones, Madrid, 2004, p. 293-296.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, «Mais um miliário de Constantino Magno na área limítrofe de Abrantes», Ficheiro Epigráfico, Coimbra, 2004,(insc 319)
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, Ara aos Lares Viales, de Bracara Augusta», Forum (revista do Conselho Cultural da Universidade do Minho), 37 (Jan-Jun 2005), pp. 147-155. De col. com Armandino Cunha e Francisco Sande Lemos.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’,«Atlas Antroponímico de la Lusitânia Romana - uma obra imprescindível», Al-madan 13 (Julho 2005), p. 119-120.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’,Os mitos da Lusitânia romana», Al-madan 13 (Julho 2005), p. 125.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, “IX Colóquio Internacional sobre Línguas e Culturas Paleo-hispânicas», Al-madan 13 (Julho 2005), p. 125.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’ e ANTÓNIO, J., “Epitáfio de Sentia Laurilla, de Alter do Chão», Ficheiro Epigráfico, 81, 2006, nº 362.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’ e CARVALHO, C., “Duas epígrafes de Montalegre”, Ficheiro Epigráfico, 83, 2006, nºs 368-369.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, “Fronteiras linguísticas, fronteiras intelectuais: o testemunho dos monumentos epigráficos da Lusitânia romana», Fronteiras e Etnicidade no Mundo Antigo. Anais do V Congresso da Sociedade Brasileira de Estudos Clássicos. Pelotas, 15 a 19 de setembro de 2003. Pelotas, 2005, 219-232.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, “Les noms des dieux dans l’Hispania pré-romaine”, in BELAYCHE (Nicole) et alii (edit.), Nommer les Dieux – Théonymes, épithètes, épiclèses dans l’Antiquité, Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 2005, 413-422.
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, “Onomástica, monumento e contexto”, Palaeohispanica 5, 2005 (Actas del IX Colóquio sobre Lenguas y Culturas Paleohispánicas [Barcelona, 20-24 de Octubre de 2004]), p. 767-774
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’ e NISA, J. R., “Miliário de Constâncio Cloro, em Alter do Chão”, Ficheiro Epigráfico, 83, 2006, nº 374.
Master and Ph.D. thesis completed
Master thesis
Fernanda Cristina de Jesus Repas, Religião na Beira Interior ao Tempo dos Romanos, Coimbra, 2001.
Armando Redentor, que, sob o título Epigrafia Romana da Região de Bragança, foi publicada nos Trabalhos de Arqueologia (nº 24), Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Lisboa, 2002.
Ana Paula Ramos Ferreira, que, sob o título Epigrafia Funerária Romana da Beira Interior: Inovação ou Continuidade?, foi também publicada nos Trabalhos de Arqueologia, Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Lisboa, 2004.
Ana Marques de Sá, Civitas Igaeditanorum: Os Deuses e os Homens. No prelo (a sair dentro de dias, como publicação da Câmara Municipal de Idanha-a-Nova).
Internationalization
Member of the research project FERCAN – Fontes Epigraphici Religionis Celticae Antiquae, under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Manfred Hainzmann, of the Institut für Alte Geschichte und Altertumskunde, da Universidade de Graz (Áustria), http://www.oeaw.ac.at/praehist/fercan/
Future Research
Objectives
The study of epigraphy is essential to the work of reassembling the social structures and mindsets of the Roman era, since inscriptions of any kind (honorary, votive, funerary) supply information that no other literary source can provide or can be deduced from the remains of the material culture, in its strictest sense, discovered during excavation work.
The specific nature of epigraphic studies – as distinct from what is termed archaeology – makes the founding of a separate group advisable. In addition, there is a significant tradition of epigraphic studies at the University of Coimbra. No other university or research centre has pursued the study of Latin epigraphy with the quality or productivity of the Coimbra group.
Moreover, another dimension may be added to this group: iconology. In effect, representations in the form of sculptures and mosaics (in addition to other more modest mediums) are also a means gaining access to mentalities. Extending beyond a merely iconographic study restricted to the identification of the items represented, we aim to investigate the cultural status, ideology or social rank of those who commissioned the works.
Under the auspices of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin, the re-issue, review and extension of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum dedicated to the Iberian Peninsula also fall within the programme of work for this group.
Previous publications in the area
SILVA (José Candeias da), «Mais um miliário de Constantino Magno na área limítrofe de Abrantes», FE 81 (2006) nº 363;
ENCARNAÇÃO (José d') e NISA (João Rafael), «Miliário de Constâncio Cloro, em Alter do Chão», FE 83 (2006) nº 374;
ENCARNAÇÃO, J. d’, «Onomástica y religión», in GRUPO MÉRIDA, Atlas Antroponímico de la Lusitania Romana, Mérida-Bordéus 2003, p. 425-427.
PERESTRELO (M. S. G.), «Ara a Bando Vordeaico, de Meda», FE 71 2003 nº 315.
PERESTRELO (M. S. G.), «Ara aos Lares proveniente da Meda», FE 71 2003 nº 316.
SILVA (J. Candeias da), «Ara a uma divindade indígena na freguesia de S. Facundo (Abrantes)», FE 72-73 2003 nº 318.
CURADO (F. P.) et alii, «Ara votiva de São Vicente da Beira (Castelo Branco)», FE 74 2003, nº 329.
CURADO (F. P.) et alii, «Ara da ermida de Nossa Senhora de Mércoles (Castelo Branco)», FE 74 2003, nº 331.
NÓBREGA (Pedro Pina), «Ara votiva de Antas, Penalva do Castelo», FE 75 2004 nº 335.
FERREIRA (Maria C. C.), « Ara votiva a Amma de Vale de Azares», FE 77 2004 nº 347.
NÓBREGA (Pedro Pina), «Ara votiva de Quintela de Azurara, Mangualde», FE 77 2004 nº 348.