Subscriptio
In the later days of the Roman Empire the Roman grammarians devoted themselves largely to
editing the Latin classics, as the Alexandrian grammarians edited the great classical works of
Greek literature. In the fourth and fifth centuries many men of eminence were numbered among
these editors, who attached their names to their work. A signature of this sort is called
subscriptio, and subsequent copyists carefully repeated the names at the head
of the works which they copied side by side with those of subsequent revisers. Among the
subscriptiones are found those of men like
Symmachus (q.v.), Asterius (consul 494 A.D.), Mavortius (consul 527
A.D.), and many other important personages. These attestations are collected and discussed by
Jahn in a monograph that is published in the
Abh. der sächs. Gesellschaft d.
Wissensch. for 1851.