Kaja Harter-Uibopuu

Kaja Harter-Uibopuu is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Hamburg and Co-Spokesperson of the Cluster « Understanding Written Artefacts ». After studying and working at the University of Graz, Austria, she held a position at the Austrian Academy of Sciences 2001-2015, before moving to Hamburg. Her research focuses on Greek Inscriptions, especially from the Hellenistic and Imperial era, as well as on the history of law in the Greek poleis. In 2023 she was appointed head of the Inscriptiones Graecae at the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften and is leading epigraphical research in Miletus (Turkiye). 

The project

Title: Private Funerary Statutes and the Protection of Graves in Greco-Roman Lydia

"Funerary inscriptions in the cities of Greco-Roman antiquity represent the largest genre of inscriptions and serve as a critical intersection for social, legal, and archaeological studies. These inscriptions reveal the efforts of the inhabitants of ancient poleis to maintain strict control over their funerary monuments posthumously. The complexity of these epitaphs shifted over time from memorial functions to emphasizing legal requirements, offering deep insights into the city's legal system and social structure. My recent research on funerary statutes from Asia Minor has focused on epitaphs from regions like Ionia and Caria, as well as Lycia. The new project will concentrate on Lydia, where the epitaphs show remarkable local peculiarities, such as concise dating. The epitaphs contain private statutes, that reveal the intricacies of tomb acquisition and regulations. Graves could be newly built or reused, with ownership transfer often specified in the epitaph. Burial rights typically included the immediate family, with the statute defining who could be buried. Explicit prohibitions, such as against unauthorized burials, altering, or selling the tomb, were common. Violations were deterred by significant monetary penalties, integrating public and sacred institutions into burial law. Enforcement relied on public support, with rewards offered to those reporting breaches. These inscriptions highlight the legal and social frameworks governing burial practices, emphasizing the role of local peculiarities and municipal law in maintaining funerary regulations."

Hosting institution: École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) - PSL

Selective Bibliography

• Die Publikation von senatus consulta auf griechischen Inschriften, in: P. Buongiorno – G. Camodeca (Hg.), Die „senatus consulta“ in den epigraphischen Quellen: Texte und Bezeugungen, Acta Senatus B 9, Stuttgart 2021, 83-106
• Multiple-Text Inscriptions in the Greco-Roman World, in: J. Quenzer (ed.), Exploring Written Artefacts. Objects, Methods and Concepts, Studies in Manuscript Cultures 25, Berlin 2021, 35-51
• Inschriften in Olympia als Beispiel der (Re)Konstruktion von Geschichte in der griechischen Polis, in: C. Dartmann — K.Harter-Uibopuu, Geschichtsglauben. Studien zum Spannungsfeld von Geschichtskultur, Geschichtswissenschaft und Religion, Hamburger Studien zu Gesellschaften und Kulturen der Vormoderne, Stuttgart 2022, 61-74
• Dispute Resolution, in: S. v.Reden, The Cambridge Companion to the Greek Economy, Cambridge 2022, 250-263
• Antike Rechtsgeschichte, in: P. Reinard, Werkzeuge der Historiker. Antike, Stuttgart 2023, 189-212