The key epigraphic find was the 16 red paint marks, probably ochre, and 3 black charcoal marks. Additionally, 58 other engravings were also uncovered. These inscriptions are “all linked to the phases of extracting and shaping the stone in the quarry.”
One of the red ochre inscriptions found at the Spanish Roman quarry. ( Journal of Roman Archaeology )
Traditionally, epigraphy has often proved to be a frustrating exercise for historians. The center of Tarraco and the Roman quarry are located 5.6 miles (9 kms) apart.
In this case, another challenge was that the laborers hired to work at the sites were the ones who made the inscriptions. For them, the interpretation of the language was merely functional and used solely to mark the progress of the building, and the quantity of limestone being used, along with the dates of construction. This made the epigraphic reconstruction an even more challenging task.
Featured Image: Debotri Dhar and her book, Love Is Not A Word)
“In literature, culture, history, metaphysics, politics, and their interstices, ideas about love abound,” writes Debotri Dhar who teaches Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan. The idea led her to thread together a book
Love Is Not a Word: The Culture and Politics of Desire a unique collection consisting of twelve well-written essays by scholars, critics, storytellers, and journalists. The idea for the book first occurred to Dhar as a graduate student at Oxford University, and then again while teaching at Rutgers University in the US. It was while she was teaching at the University of Michigan that pieces of the book started finally falling in place.