More than words: imperial discourse in Greek papyri

Abstract

This paper discusses how Roman imperial discourse is encountered in Greek papyri. The term “ discourse” covers several levels of meaning, ranging from a simple conversation to a set of programmatic or ideological statements. This latter sense is relevant for imperial selfpresentation : through images and words Roman emperors communicated their qualities, which served as an ideological basis for their power position, in order to be accepted as the right man for the job by different groups of subjects. How, then, are Roman emperors present in Greek papyri ? And how can Greek papyri be used for the study of imperial discourse ? In my paper, I will discuss how papyri reveal imperial power and its concomitant discourse in several ways. In certain types of documents, such as imperial letters, the emperor speaks directly. In others, the emperor is present merely as a point of reference, for instance in dating formulas. Nevertheless, even within these dating parts imperial ideology is reflected. All of these texts are instructive for the functioning of imperial discourse. On the one hand, these documents convey a concrete message, as they all were written for a practical reason. On the other hand, the use of certain elements or words could convey a deeper meaning to a text, by expressing concepts “ behind” the message itself. This paper aims to show how imperial discourse can be studied on several levels and how it can be studied for power relations within society and for legitimation of the imperial power position.