“To Destroy the Stele”: Epigraphic Reinscription and Historical Revision in Athens.

Over the long course of Greek history, and as a result of institutional changes, epigraphic writing underwent many forms of modification, including correction and erasure of the text and frequently even the destruction and re-use of the stone material itself. These acts, either promoted by the community or by single individuals, disclose very diverse underlying intentions. It quickly becomes evident that Athens, more than any other city, supplies for specialised analysis a large quantity of documentation amounting to many thousands of texts and offers a wide range of cases for examination.