Erasing and Rewriting in Manuscript Cultures
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Edited by:
Michele Cammarosano
About this book
Across the most diverse societies, the reuse of writing surfaces in contexts such as learning to write, note-taking, literary creation, and bookkeeping has been not only desirable but essential to optimising resources. In these contexts, it has been typical to use erasable media of various kinds – a practice which in turn has had important implications for palaeography, literary creation, and virtually every aspect related to writing. Manuscript cultures addressed the quest for rewritability through using permanently recyclable materials such as clay and wax tablets, special technologies such as erasable coatings, and ingenious strategies for reusing papyrus, parchment, paper, wood, and more. This volume systematically explores the fascinating intersection between the potential ephemerality of the written word and the reusability of its supports. It combines a theoretical framework on ‘rewritability’ with case studies on materials, related technologies and their interplay with competing techniques, spanning from ancient Mesopotamia to present-day Nigeria, from Egypt to Japan, from Greece and Rome to the Arab world. In doing so, the volume illuminates a crucial aspect of cultural history relevant to anyone studying the written word.
Author / Editor information
Michele Cammarosano, University of Naples ‘L’Orientale’, Naples, Italy.
Topics
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Frontmatter
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Contents
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A Framework for the Analysis of Rewriting Practices, and Three Case Studies: Clay Tablets, Wax Tablets, and Erasable Coatings
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The Future of the Past: Rewriting as a Cultural Practice from Handwritten Artefacts to the Digital Age
63 - Clay and Wax
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A Restorer’s Look at Rewritable Media: Cuneiform Clay Tablets in Conservation
75 -
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Temporality on Clay Tablets: When the Component Parts of a Cuneiform Document Were Committed to Clay
115 -
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Erasing Signs and Lines on Old Assyrian Cuneiform Clay Tablets
161 -
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Ashurbanipal and Objects for Esagil and Ešarra: A Case Study of Erasing, Removing, and Replacing Texts at the Height of the Assyrian Empire
191 -
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Refill, Reuse, Recycle? Reusing Wax Tablets in the Roman North-western Provinces
217 -
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Some Remarks on the Lexicon of Erasure between Antiquity and Middle Ages
255 -
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From Wax Tablets to Codices: The Possible Influence of the Stylus Holder on the Structure of Early Multi-gathering Codices
263 -
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Wax Tablets as Writing Media during the Middle Ages
309 - Papyrus, Parchment, Paper, and Wood
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Reasons for Papyrus Reuse in Ancient Egypt
335 -
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Coptic Palimpsests: When, Where, and Why?
357 -
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How to Erase Writing According to Recipes from the Arab World: Textual Analysis of Premodern Technical Recipes
373 -
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How to Erase Writing According to Recipes from the Arab World: Replication and Analytical Report
411 -
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Transient Texts: Erasable Writing on Wood, Sand, and Metal in Northern Nigerian Islam
439 -
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Writing and Rewriting Wooden Tablets in Seventh- and Eighth-Century Japan: The Mokkan Used for Learning
475 -
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Contributors
503 -
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Index of Written Artefacts
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Manufacturer information:
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
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10785 Berlin
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