Erasing and rewriting in manuscript cultures : practices of text obliteration and manuscript reuse in a global perspective / edited by Michele Cammarosano.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Cammarosano, Michele, editor.

Series:

Studies in manuscript cultures ; v. 48.

Studies in manuscript cultures, 2365-9696 ; volume 48

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Palimpsests.

Manuscripts.

Cuneiform tablets.

Tablets (Paleography).

Writing materials and instruments--History.

Writing materials and instruments.

manuscripts (documents).

wax tablets.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vi, 516 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, [2025]

Summary:

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.

Contents:

A Framework for the Analysis of Rewriting Practices, and Three Case Studies: Clay Tablets, Wax Tablets, and Erasable Coatings / Michele Cammarosano

The Future of the Past: Rewriting as a Cultural Practice from Handwritten Artefacts to the Digital Age / Marilena Maniaci

A Restorer's Look at Rewritable Media: Cuneiform Clay Tablets in Conservation / Carmen Gütschow

Temporality on Clay Tablets: When the Component Parts of a Cuneiform Document Were Committed to Clay / Jon Taylor

Erasing Signs and Lines on Old Assyrian Cuneiform Clay Tablets / Cécile Michel

Ashurbanipal and Objects for Esagil and Ešarra: A Case Study of Erasing, Removing, and Replacing Texts at the Height of the Assyrian Empire / Jamie Novotny

Refill, Reuse, Recycle? Reusing Wax Tablets in the Roman North-western Provinces / Anna Willi

Some Remarks on the Lexicon of Erasure between Antiquity and Middle Ages / Serena Ammirati

From Wax Tablets to Codices: The Possible Influence of the Stylus Holder on the Structure of Early Multi-gathering Codices / Georgios Boudalis

Wax Tablets as Writing Media during the Middle Ages / Thomas Wozniak

Reasons for Papyrus Reuse in Ancient Egypt / Elena L. Hertel

Coptic Palimpsests: When, Where, and Why? / Paola Buzi

How to Erase Writing According to Recipes from the Arab World: Textual Analysis of Premodern Technical Recipes / Sara Fani

How to Erase Writing According to Recipes from the Arab World: Replication and Analytical Report / Claudia Colini, Giuseppe Marotta, Sowmeya Sathiyamani, Valentina Yañez Langner, Annie Muller, Katerina Grigoriadou, Chen Yu

Transient Texts: Erasable Writing on Wood, Sand, and Metal in Northern Nigerian Islam / Andrea Brigaglia, Dahir Lawan Mu'az

Writing and Rewriting Wooden Tablets in Seventh- and Eighth-century Japan: The Mokkan Used for Learning / Antonio Manieri.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Erasing and rewriting in manuscript cultures.

ISBN:

9783111682983

3111682986

9783111683348

3111683346

OCLC:

1545080273

Publisher Number:

CIPO000292947

Access Restriction:

Some versions: Open access versions available from some providers open access

Some versions: Open access versions available from some providers