And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus ... Communication between rulers and subjects by edict and epistle in the High Imperial Period. Documentation and interpretation in interdisciplinary dialogue.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Rudolf Haensch
• Subject Area: Ancient History
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 534097271

The aim of the project "Corpus of the documents of Roman rule" (CURH), created at the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the DAI, is to present the most important documentary sources of the emperors and governors of Rome, their edicta and epistulae, in a new text-critical edition with translation, detailed historical and legal commentary and extensive indices, and to evaluate them for questions of the practice and representation of Roman rule. The number of these documents has exploded in recent decades in the case of papyrological testimonies, but even more in that of epigraphical. The project has already produced a series of studies, acts of conferences and a collection of the corresponding 134 edicts and epistles of the governors of Egypt, it is now to be completed in a three-year project phase with increased staff. In a cooperation of the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute with the Documenta Antiqua Department of the Austrian Archaeological Institute and a professor of Roman Law and Juristic Papyrology of the University of Warsaw, an edition, translation, commentary and evaluation of the 421 relevant documents of the Roman emperors up to Diocletian is to be produced in the form of three volumes (open access).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Austria, Poland
• Partner Organisation: Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF); Narodowe Centrum Nauki (NCN)
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Thomas Corsten; Professor Jakub Urbanik