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CIL Reference, please help

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Marius:
Hi,
I've been reading about the reigns of Decius and Gallus, and the bibliographies often state "CIL", for example:  "CIL iii:4558"
Does anyone here know what reference this is and where it could be read?
Thanks for any help.
Richard

curtislclay:
Richard,
     That's the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, the corpus of Latin inscriptions arranged geographically by the provinces and towns where they were found, started by Mommsen 150 years ago, 30 large folio volumes or more, only available in larger libraries with strong classics holdings.
      The more important of these inscriptions were excerpted by Dessau and reproduced in his work Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae (ILS), a set of 3-4 smaller volumes.
Regards,
Curtis

Marius:
Thank you Curtis,
I have made a note of the title and when I visit a large city, I'll try the library for this one.  I had read in an on line article by Robert McMahon ( http://www.roman-emperors.org/decius.htm ) that there is significant evidence that Gallus had ordered a Damnatio Memoria of Decius and his family.  This agrees with Zosimus (who clearly liked Decius and disliked Gallus), but it is the opposite of the other authors (Jordanes, Aurelius Victor and a few more) and seems at odds with the coins that make it appear that Gallus truly honored Decius and adopted himself into that family.  The inscription that would be most interesting to see (and is in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum) is the one described by McMahon: "However, the discovery of an army document, where Decius' and Herennius' name have been suppressed, leaving only the iterations of III et I cos., with no names, indicates that the condemnation was an official policy. (i.e not just the Christians who disliked Decius).  Actually, I'm not sure how McMahon ruled out a Chrisitan officer, or someone at a later date, erasing the names.
Also I have read that according to Eutropius Decius was deified.  If that is true, it would seem politically foolish for Gallus to have blot his memory withing a year or two.
Best regards,
Richard

curtislclay:
Richard,
      It is generally agreed today that Gallus first deifed Decius, in connection with his reconciliation with Decius' surviving son Hostilian, then later condemned him, after Hostilian's death.
      I will send you a photocopy of Gillian's article "III ET I COS", if I can find my offprint of it!
Yours,
Curtis

Marius:
Curtis,
That would be great!  Thanks for your help.
Richard

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