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The Wondrous Journey of Cicero's Head to Sardis: Hellenic Identity and Biculturalism in a Greek Imperial Epigram
- American Journal of Philology
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 143, Number 1 (Whole Number 569), Spring 2022
- pp. 145-168
- 10.1353/ajp.2022.0001
- Article
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Abstract:
This paper examines an inscriptional epigram from Sardis (04/02/05 Merkelbach-Stauber), which was designed to accompany a bust of Cicero set up by a Greek named Polybios in the 2nd century c.e. The epigram, I argue, fuses Hellenistic poetological imagery with the echo of a Roman declamatory topos concerning Cicero's decapitation by playfully suggesting that Cicero's head had miraculously traveled from Rome to Sardis. Reflecting on the implications of this imaginary voyage, I explore the complex dynamics of Polybios' epigram, which is exceptional in expressing a Greek's admiration for a Roman figure, against the backdrop of the period's bicultural discourse.