Mixed-Language Inscriptions, Social Groups and Freedmen in Roman Ephesus

Mixed-language (Greek-Latin) inscriptions in Roman Ephesus, particularly among Italian communities and their freedmen, suggest a strategic response to legal restrictions imposed after the Augustan Principate. This study reveals that the use of bilingual epigraphy by this social group was likely motivated by changes in their legal status, offering new insights into the dynamics of social identity and linguistic choice in the Roman province of Asia. The research employs detailed analysis of epigraphic data to examine how these inscriptions reflect broader societal shifts, providing a nuanced understanding of the interactions between language, law, and social hierarchy in Ephesus.

BLANCO PÉREZ, Aitor. (2020). Mixed-Language Inscriptions, Social Groups and Freedmen in Roman Ephesus [JB]. Latomus, 1, 3–24. https://doi.org/10.2143/LAT.79.1.3287974