In 1997, there are nearly as many ways to communicate as to think. From
email, fax, letters, and forums such as this web page, technology moves
fast. A mimeograph machine invaluable in 1980 is trashed as worthless in
1997. The Romans did not have this luxury. Choosing between types of
paper was about all the selection they had. The
scroll and codex examines the evolution from the Roman papyrus scroll
(the English word paper, incidentally, is derived from the Latin papyrus)
to the Christian codex of parchment.
More than just having scrolls, reading them was also an essential skill. Most, obviously, were in Latin, and there were some large bibliothechae in the ancient world. As is pointed out on the web page, some Romans had libraries but were ingnorant as to their contents, especially as the second most common language was Greek, and this is not an easy language to learn! In many cases, the library was an affectation, much as the modern affluent will collect cars or the like.
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Last updated: 15 July 1997 Send Comments to: Eleanor Rodgers, erodgers@uclink4.berkeley.edu Copyright © 1997 UVM Classics Department All Rights Reserved. |