Category Archives: Ancient letters

Practicalities of Letter Delivery in Antiquity

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Brent Nongbri

When I teach about ancient letter writing, one of the things I emphasize is the precariousness of sending letters any great distance in the Roman world. Without an organized postal service, the delivery of letters could be quite haphazard. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient letters | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

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