The Nani Museum: Greek and Latin Inscriptions from Greece and Dalmatia

One of the most important antiquarian collections that existed in Venice at the time of the Serenissima Republic was that of the Nani di San Trovaso family. It included more than 400 ancient objects, which were put together around the mid 18th century by the two brothers Bernardo and Giacomo Nani. Almost half of these objects were Greek and Latin inscriptions, mainly coming from the Eastern coasts of the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Islands, mainland Greece, and the Aegean. The first part of this article presents an overview of the history of the creation and dispersal of the Nani Museum, with specific attention to its epigraphic component. Drawing on unpublished or little known documents, two subsequent sections provide a census of all the Greek inscriptions and of the Latin inscriptions from Dalmatia that once belonged to the Nani Museum, offering information about their ancient provenance, the steps of their dispersal, and their present location.