Ancient World Seminar: Kaja Harter-Uibopuu (Hamburg) – “How to protect your grave – legal aspects of funerary inscriptions in Greco-Roman Asia Minor”

Among the thousands of funerary inscriptions from Greco-Roman Asia Minor, a large group holds information on the acquisition of graves as well as the protection of these sites against unauthorized use, alienation of the monument or other forms of disturbances. Although the prohibitions adhere basically to the same offences all over Ionia, Caria and the southwest of Asia Minor, the formulations vary from polis to polis, as do the sanctions. These could range from curses to monetary fines and criminal prosecution for the disturbance of graves. A short overview of the different possibilities will shed light on the wishes and fears of grave-owners and introduce to a fascinating tool of ancient Greek and Roman Law: the funerary fine.

For nearly two years, Kaja Harter-Uibopuu has been professor of Ancient History at the University of Hamburg. Before this, she has studied ancient law, with a specialist interest in Roman law, at the University of Graz, where she obtained her PhD sub auspiciis praesidentis (the highest honours in Austria). At her alma mater, as well as at Vienna, Innsbruck, München, the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, and Princeton, she has taught and published extensively on ancient law (especially of Greek poleis under Roman rule and funerary legislation), history of the Greek provinces in the imperial period, and Greek epigraphy. In the period 2010- 2014 she was head of the project ‘Verbote und Strafen zur Sicherung von Gräbern im griechisch-römischen Kleinasien’, which she continued a few months later with a project entitled ‘Grabrecht und Grabschutz im griechisch-römischen Südwestkleinasien’. A collaborative monograph on the subject is being prepared for publication.