All a matter of time. The impact of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) on epigraphic research

In 1853, the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin established the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum on the initiative and under the direction of Theodor Mommsen. The aim was a systematic collection and edition of all Latin inscriptions of Roman antiquity. By the First World War a first conclusion had been reached. With its working principles and its stringent presentation, the CIL has shaped every occupation with Latin inscriptions to this day. The lecture outlines the principles of this first large-scale project in the humanities and, from today's perspective, asks to what extent the claim to completeness is a reality.