Dr. Anne Helttula, Latin language; Dr. Maijastina Kahlos (Classical philology, University of Helsinki), Mr. Tryggve Gestrin (archaeology, University of Helsinki) and Mr. Risto Valjus (Ancient history, University of Helsinki), Ms. Reija Pentti-Tuomisto (Ancient languages and culture, University of Turku), Mr. Pekka Tuomisto (Ancient languages and culture, University of Turku), Dr. Raija Vainio (Ancient languages and culture, University of Turku), as well as prof. Ida Baldassarre, University of Naples).

Ostia was the booming port of Rome in the Imperial era. In addition to its singularly well-preserved architecture, which has given important insight into Roman life, the abundant epigraphical material is an important object of study for sociology, language, commercial history and prosopography. The inscriptions from the second-century AD cemetery of Isola Sacra, hitherto only available in much-criticised old editions, are of particular interest.

The first volume of the Project publication, containing a new, scientific edition of the inscriptions, will appear in 2005 in the series Acta Instituti Romani Finlandiae. The second volume, containing specialised articles on onomastics, sociology, funerary legislation and conventions formulae, law, the material aspects of the tombs, the use of cremation versus inhumation, etc.) as well as the language (epigraphical Latin reflecting sociolinguistic variation

The main results of this multi-disciplinary project are:

1. a new edition, with a textual commentary, correcting the mistakes of the previous editions as well as publishing new material;

2. the contextualisation of the inscriptions: the material surroundings, especially the tomb of provenance, are indicated, contrary to the previous editions. This will make it possible for scholars to efficiently use the material for sociological, historical, cultural etc. studies. collaboration at national and international level

National interuniversity collaboration; Project initiated by Dr. Helttula while director of the Finnish Institute at Rome (IRF, Villa Lante), financed in part by the IRF and published in the IRF series; international collaboration

Funding by the Institutum Romanum Finlandiae .

All members of the team, apart from prof. Ida Baldassarre, were initially doctoral students of Dr. Helttula's; in the course of the project, Dr. Kahlos and Dr. Vainio have finished their doctoral studies; Mr. Gestrin works on a dissertation on Classical archaeology and Mr. Tuomisto on Hungarian Renaissance Latin.

The two project volumes (2005-2006, Acta Instituti Romani Finlandiae)