Monthly Archives: January 2023

Buying Papyrus in Roman Antiquity

Posted on January 28, 2023 by Brent Nongbri

I recently came across the reference in Theodor Birt that reminded me of an old problem. After a description of the production of papyrus sheets, Birt states that “the resulting sheets were sold individually (Die so entstandenen Blätter kamen einzeln … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient letters, Book Trade in Antiquity, Codices | 4 Comments

More Digital Images of Papyri at the Bodleian Online

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Brent Nongbri

A couple years ago, I noted that the Bodleian Library at Oxford had put digital images of several early Christian manuscripts online. Now they have uploaded images of many more manuscripts, and there are several old favorites among them. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Bodleian Library, Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Oxyrhynchus Philo | 4 Comments

Inks, Imaging, and EthiCodex

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Brent Nongbri

Over the last several years, one of the big changes in the study of ancient manuscripts has been an increased interest in thinking about the materials that go into the production of ancient books. In the case of early codices, … Continue reading →

Posted in Imaging, Ink | Leave a comment

A Cursed Figurine

Posted on January 7, 2023 by Brent Nongbri

I had the opportunity recently to revisit an interesting artifact at the Louvre. It is a small nude female figurine with hands and feet bound, pierced through with thirteen pins. According to the Louvre website, the figurine was bought in … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Magic | 7 Comments