WhatdidpeopleintheearlyChristianperiodthinkaboutthepaganinscriptionsfillingtheirlateantiquecities?Likepublicadvertisementsliningourstreetstoday,theseinscriptionswereeverywhereandcommunicatedspecificmessagestoliteratelateRomanviewers,oftenprovidingaverydifferentviewoftheclassicalpastthanthatbeingpreachedfromearlyChristianchurchpulpits.InPaganInscriptions,ChristianViewers,AnnaM.SitzprovidesafreshperspectiveontheChristianizationoftheRomanempirefromthefourthtotheseventhcenturyCEbyanalyzingapreviouslyoverlookedbodyofevidence:themanyancient,paganinscriptions,writteninGreekorotherlanguages,whichwerereused,preserved,orevenpartiallyerasedinthisperiod.ThisvolumebringstogetherforthefirsttimetheliteraryandarchaeologicalevidenceforattitudestowardstheseancientinscriptionsintheeasternMediterranean,fromGreecetoAsiaMinor,SyriatoEgypt.PaganInscriptions,ChristianViewersillustrateshowearlyChristians,latepagans,andJewsintheeasternMediterraneaninterpretedolderinscriptionsinGreekandotherlanguagesthroughtheirownworldviewsinordertobuildthelateantiquepresent.
