On the Historical Importance of Translation. Modern Historiography of the Imperial Court Offices in the Principate

Abstract

The present article is an attempt to initiate an interdisciplinary discussion on semantic differences in modern historical works on the Palatine offices in the Principate. Terminological variations in the scholarly reflection on central imperial offices in the early Empire may stem from the fact that the institution, its scope, hierarchy, catalogue of posts and the competences of its officials have never been comprehensively defined. It has often been the case that authors writing about the Principate had differently interpreted historical sources and variously translated ancient administrative terms. Therefore, it is our aim to accentuate the socio-cultural dimension of historiographical research by comparing the multilingual terminology used by prominent French, Italian, German and Anglophone scholars interested in Roman offices.