This book is dedicated to Professor Ioan Piso, one of the greatest epigraphists and historians of antiquity, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Professor Piso has been active for almost 60 years, publishing major inscriptional corpora from Roman Dacia as well as important studies on the elite, society, culture, economy and religion of Dacia and the Imperium Romanum. He gained international recognition not only through publications, but also through his participation in international conferences and projects, as well as through prestigious fellowships. He directed the scientific activities of many young scholars who later received international recognition. Professor Piso was actively involved in the civic life and was one of most important fighters for the preservation of cultural heritage in Romania. His moral principles, diligence and human qualities were unanimously appreciated.
The volume comprises almost 40 studies written by scholars from Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Israel, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. The main topics are epigraphy, archaeology, historiography, taking into account new epigraphic and historical documents as well as recent archaeological data. The book includes historiographic debates and new restitutions of medieval and modern documents on antiquity. In other articles, the authors provide new interpretations and original points of view on already known documents.