Erasing and Rewriting in Manuscript Cultures

Practices of Text Obliteration and Manuscript Reuse in a Global Perspective
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-3-11-168273-0
Verlag: De Gruyter

Buch, Englisch, Band 48, 527 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 230 mm

Reihe: Studies in Manuscript Cultures

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.

Zielgruppe

Scholars of literary, Islamic, classical, medieval, manuscript st

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cammarosano, Michele

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Naher & Mittlerer Osten
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Archäologie: Theorie und Methoden
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Materielle Kultur
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Klassische Literaturwissenschaft

Über Autor(innen)

Michele Cammarosano, Universität Neapel ‘L’Orientale’, Neapel, Italien.

Michele Cammarosano, University of Naples ‘L’Orientale’, Naples, Italy.