Category Archives: Martial

A Walk in the Imperial Fora

Posted on October 20, 2025 by Brent Nongbri

For the first time since it opened, I took the walk on the new pathway through the imperial fora in Rome. From the Roman Forum you can go past the curia (where, at the moment, a portion of the Magna … Continue reading →

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Manuscripts of Martial

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Brent Nongbri

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 →

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More Papyrus Roll Vocabulary: frons, cornua, umbilicus

Posted on July 11, 2021 by Brent Nongbri

In an earlier post, I raised some questions about the description of papyrus rolls. This generated some very helpful discussion in the comments. I now want to look at some of the ancient terminology for rolls. A good place to … Continue reading →

Posted in Martial, Voluminology | 10 Comments

Buying Books in Rome circa 86 CE

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Brent Nongbri

The surviving writings of the satirical poet Martial provide a number of insights into Roman book culture. He has been an especially important figure in discussions of the history of the codex, as he mentions on multiple occasions portable parchment … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Trade in Antiquity, Martial | 8 Comments