- Text, Layout, and Medium
- Edited by Davide Amendola, Cristina Carusi, Francesca Maltomini, Emilio Rosamilia
The Thin Line Between mise en page and mise en abyme: An Examination of the Layout of Multiple Letters on Papyrus (1st-6th Centuries CE)
- Yasmine Amory
- © 2024 Author(s) |
- CC BY 4.0
- DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-0456-9.08
Although letters are probably the most intensively studied type of documents in papyrology, their material and visual aspects have received little scholarly attention. Yet, in recent years there has been a noticeably growing interest in these aspects and their relation to the content of documents. Among the many examples of preserved letters, this chapter examines the formal features of one specific communication practice, namely the penning of multiple messages on a single support (papyrus, ostracon, or wooden tablet). This practice, which allowed the letter writer to save paper and time, since letters could easily encounter delays or never make it to their final destination, usually involved one individual addressing a group of people living together or in proximity, or a group of close individuals addressing the same person. Personal and social reasons could also come into play in choosing a single writing medium. The examination of this group of texts shows that multiple letters could be arranged according to four different types of layout: (1) by placing one message on top of another; (2) side by side; (3) by using the two faces of the writing medium; or (4) by shaping them into a single letter, in what I suggest we call the “shell letter.” By discussing each of these visual arrangements, this chapter investigates the reasons that may have led the scribe to prefer one layout to another, as well as the relationship between text, layout, and correspondents.
- Keywords:
- papyrology; multiple letters; communication practices; layout; “shell letter.”,
Ghent University, Belgium - ORCID: 0000-0002-4590-5781
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Chapter Information
Chapter Title
The Thin Line Between mise en page and mise en abyme: An Examination of the Layout of Multiple Letters on Papyrus (1st-6th Centuries CE)
Authors
Yasmine Amory
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0456-9.08
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Bibliographic Information
Book Title
Text, Layout, and Medium
Book Subtitle
Documents from the Greco-Roman World between Epigraphy and Papyrology
Editors
Davide Amendola, Cristina Carusi, Francesca Maltomini, Emilio Rosamilia
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
426
Publication Year
2024
Copyright Information
© 2024 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0456-9
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0455-2
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0456-9
Series Title
Edizioni dell’Istituto Papirologico «G. Vitelli»
Series ISSN
2533-2414
Series E-ISSN
2612-7997