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Introduction
19
textsoutoftheirarchaeologicalandsocialcontext,isamuchmoreserious
problem.Establishingthearchaeologicalcontextinwhichagiveninscrip-
tionCfunctioned)isusuallyonlypossibleindirectly,sinceitisonlyrarely
thattheyarefoundinsitu.Tisisalsothecaseofcorporateinscriptions,
whoseoriginallocationhistorianstrytodiscoveronthebasisoftheinfor-
mationinthetextorthetypeofmonumentonwhichtheinscriptionwas
placed.Wecan,naturally,assumethatthemajorityofthesemonuments
wereplacedincollegialmeetingplaces,corporategraveyardsortemples.
However,alackofcertaintyinthisregardremainsaseriousshortcoming
ofstudiesonRomancorporations.Weknowconsiderablymoreaboutthe
socialaspectofthecreationandfunctionsofepigraphictexts.Weshould
keepinmindthatthevastmajorityofinscriptionswaspublic(inthepre-
sent-daymeaningoftheword).Inthecaseofcorporateinscriptions,the
Cpublic)towhichthemessageofaninscriptionwasaddressedwasmainly
comprisedofthecollegiati,butinsomecircumstancesthegroupofread-
erscouldhavebeenmuchlarger(honorificinscriptions,tombs,etc.).Itis
worthnotingthatintermsofcommunication,themeansusedbycolleges
didnotdińerfromthemeansusedbytheRomanelites(thefasti,alba,
leges,etc.).Tepublicnatureoftheseinscriptionshadanimpactnotonly
ontheirform.Teomciallanguageusedbythecorporations,moreorless
successfullyimitatingthestyleoftheimperialandlocaladministration,
wasmerelythemostnoticeableresultoftheinscriptionfounderstryingto
givethemomcialcharacter.Tepubliccontextinwhichthemajorityof
epigraphicinscriptionswassupposedtofunctionalsomeantthat-to
borrowLiu)swords-theytendedtoprioritisethestoriesoftheCwinners)
.48
Tefoundersandprotagonistsoftheinscriptionsaremainlythepeople
whoCmadeit)-wealthymembersoftheRomanCmiddleclass)aspiringto
Cpublic)functions(evenifitonlyoccurredatthecollegiallevel).Tein-
scriptionstheyputuptellusonlywhattheirfounderswantedustoread.
Teresultingimageofthecollegeanditsmembersisincomplete.Itlacks
thedetailswhichwouldthrowlightontherelationsbetweenthecollegiati
andthecorporatedailylife,whichmusthaveseemedtoobanaltomen-
tionininscriptions.Ontheotherhand,thereisastrongemphasisonthe
eventswhichshowedthesuccessandhighprestigeofacorporation.Te
48Liu2009,25.
