Recent Comments
tom hennell on Radiocarbon Analysis of Papyru… tom hennell on Radiocarbon Analysis of Papyru… Brent Nongbri on Radiocarbon Analysis of Papyru… Matthew Hamilton on Radiocarbon Analysis of Papyru… Brent Nongbri on Radiocarbon Analysis of Papyru…
Author Archives: Brent Nongbri
Radiocarbon Analysis of Papyrus and Parchment Manuscripts: A List
It occurs to me that it would be useful to have (as complete as possible) a list of papyrus and parchment manuscripts that have been subjected to radiocarbon analysis. I have tried to arrange this list chronologically by the date … Continue reading
Buying Papyrus in Roman Antiquity
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 Book Trade in Antiquity, Codices
3 Comments
More Digital Images of Papyri at the Bodleian Online
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
Inks, Imaging, and EthiCodex
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
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
2 Comments
First Fragments at the Chester Beatty
A great new exhibition has just opened at the Chester Beatty Library (or, as the institution now calls itself “The Chester Beatty“) in Dublin. It’s called “First Fragments: Biblical Papyrus from Roman Egypt.” It opened on 28 October and runs … Continue reading
Posted in Book binding, Chester Beatty Papyri, Codices
6 Comments
Tyrrell and Purser’s Editions of Cicero’s Letters
I sometimes need to check the extensive notes in the old edition of Cicero’s letters by Tyrrell and Purser: Robert Yelverton Tyrrell and Louis Claude Purser, The Correspondence of M. Tullius Cicero, Arranged According to its Chronological Order; with a … Continue reading
Posted in Cicero
Leave a comment
Manuscripts of Martial
Several years ago, I took some time to dive into the poet Martial’s references to pugillares membranei, generally understood to be parchment codices. At the time, I wanted to consult the manuscripts of Martial to check on some of the … Continue reading
Posted in Martial
Leave a comment
The Pagination of the Crosby-Schøyen Codex and the Problem of the Contents of P46
In an article I published earlier this year, I suggested that surviving examples of single quire codices provide evidence for thinking that the Beatty-Michigan codex of the Pauline epistles (P46) may have contained more leaves than is usually supposed. The … Continue reading
A New Article on the Date of Codex Sinaiticus
The October 2022 issue of Journal of Theological Studies will contain an article I wrote on the dating of Codex Sinaiticus. It’s out now in pre-print format, and thanks to my institution–MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society–the article … Continue reading
Posted in Codex Sinaiticus, Codices, Palaeography, Radiocarbon analysis
3 Comments
Variant Readings 