Aphrodisias

The design of the “archive wall” at Aphrodisias

Aphrodisias' 'archive wall,' traditionally thought to be chronologically ordered, is revealed through this study to have been designed centripetally, prioritizing documents of honorific significance over chronological sequence. The research identifies two distinct epigraphic phases: the original phase, likely dating from 224 CE and comprising inscriptions above the orthostate course, and a later phase from 243 CE or slightly after, extending the inscriptions to the orthostate course. Additionally, it suggests that document 4, the earliest in the dossier, may be a letter by Cornelius Sulla. This study challenges conventional assumptions about the wall's design, emphasizing the importance of rhetorical content and concrete privileges over chronology.