PDF hosted at the Radboud Repository of the Radboud University Nijmegen The following full text is a publisher's version. For additional information about this publication click this link. https://hdl.handle.net/2066/216722 Please be advised that this information was generated on 2021-10-03 and may be subject to change. Mnemosyne (2020) 1-34 brill.com/mnem Shoring Up Sappho P.Oxy. 2288 and Ancient Reinforcements of Bookrolls Mark de Kreij Greek and Latin Language and Culture, Radboud University Nijmegen
[email protected] Daniela Colomo The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, University of Oxford
[email protected] Andrew Lui Department of Materials, University of Oxford
[email protected] Received April 2019 | Accepted August 2019 Abstract P.Oxy. 2288, a 2nd-century fragment containing Sappho’s Ode to Aphrodite, has an un- derlying layer of papyrus that has intrigued scholars for decades. X-ray tomography of the papyrus and a study of the ink under the scanning electron microscope allow us to establish that the underlying layer most likely does not contain more of Sappho’s po- etry. Rather, it appears that P.Oxy. 2288 is what remains of a much-used roll of Sappho book 1, reinforced at its beginning. In order to put this case in its historical context, the second part of the article contains a new examination of the literary, documentary, and papyrological evidence for ancient repairs and reinforcements of bookrolls. Keywords Sappho – P.Oxy. 2288 – Graeco-Roman Egypt – papyrology – ancient book repairs © Mark de Kreij, Daniela Colomo and Andrew Lui, 2020 | doi:10.1163/1568525X-12342734 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.