The first complete and updated book on the epigraphic collection at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale of Naples.
After a careful selection process 200 epigraphs were chosen to be featured in the catalogue, out of the recently completed and updated collection of 2000 preserved in the museum. These epigraphs range from the 6th century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D. and are written in many different languages: Greek, Oscan, Latin, Etruscan. They come from the whole of the south of Italy, not just the region of Campania, given the central role played by the Real Museo Borbonico when southern Italy was under Bourbon rule.
The book is divided by themes, guiding the reader through some of the most significant testimonies for the region of Campania and beyond, such as the Tables of Heraclea, Totenpasses and inscriptions and graffiti from Pompeii.
These precious archeological finds are the base for historical research, they give us a precious glimpse of the past and its everyday life, religious practices and ancient laws, the foundation of our modern legislation, some of them imposingly formal, such as the stele of Bellante (featured on the cover of the book) and many more.
Curated by Carmela Capaldi and Fausto Zevi, the book includes a general introduction to the collection’s history, and scientific essays explaining the content of each section followed by a chart of all the inscriptions and new illustrations created for the book.