The purpose of the PEAI project (Public Epigraphy in Ancient Italy III-I BC) was therefore to compile palaeo-Italic public inscriptions to analyze their use as a means of social communication from the third to the first centuries B.C. Public epigraphy comprises of the inscriptions intended for public display regardless of whether they were the result of an official or private initiative. These texts constitute a peculiar form of social communication which was quite typical in the ancient world. They were used for self representation and to spread and perpetuate a series of solemn messages linked to the fundamental values of society, in particular, the values of its élite. The chosen period, prior to the shaping of the so-called imperial epigraphic culture –which began under Augustus and involved an exponential increase in the ‘epigraphic habit’– is characterized by an incipient proclivity to produce public types of texts and, above all, by a diversity of epigraphic cultures, both with regard to language and script (etruscan, oscan, umbrian, messapian, etc.). The inscriptions are texts engraved on stone or bronze to prolong their durability, which in turn gave them a monumental and solemn appearance. They were displayed in busy urban sites such as squares, sanctuaries or city gates to ensure the dissemination of their message. In order to facilitate and stimulate the reading of these texts, the form of writing employed was characterized by its large size, elegance and legibility. The development of inscriptions as a mode of writing led to the creation of a special script for writing on stone. As a rule inscriptions contain five types of message –honorific, dedications on public works, legal, religious and funerary– that were deemed worthy of being conserved for perpetuity. This form of writing had considerable potential for circulating propagandistic messages, and indeed they were widely used by the political authorities, but also by private individuals. This monumental public form of writing is one of the most noteworthy characteristics of ancient culture and it offers a testimony to the concern of this society to create timeless solemn statements that were capable of communicating their message to the greatest possible number of readers.
