Pliny the Elder Scroll - Papyrus Scroll
A text written on papyrus is a document for eternity. This scroll gives you four metres ready for written thoughts, or perhaps a graphic design.
The durability of papyrus (Latin: Cyperus papyrus, Papyrus) is demonstrated by a story dating from the 2nd century AD. A physician named Galen reported that he had read a scroll more than 300 years old. Modern archaeological dating methods have confirmed this.
- total length of the scroll 400 cm
- genuine papyrus scroll
- width 30cm
- handmade using ancient techniques
The scroll
The ancient scroll made its way via Egypt to Greece and Europe. 'Books' were originally papyrus documents made for Roman markets, generally from twenty papyrus leaves (kollemata). The preferred surface was the inside of the roll (recto), where the grain of the papyrus lay horizontally and therefore the pen (calamus), or quill (penna scriptoria) met the least resistance. You can write like the ancient Romans: in our Roman shop you will find all the tools for your personal Roman writing workshop, or 'scriptorium'.
Ancient Books
Papyrus fibres ran perpendicular (verso) only on the first sheet of a scroll (left). This sheet, 'protokollon' remained blank, and also acted as a protective cover for the roll. Writing was in parallel columns, which were of different widths. For scientific and philosophical writings were in broad columns, speeches in narrow columns. Ancient authors wrote across the adhesive edges of papyrus leaves. In Roman times, most texts were separated by dots between the individual words, which made for better legibility. Eventually, scrolls were made with a label (tituli) of genuine parchment. On this were the author's name and the book's title. In this way each scroll could be found quickly in its place in the wicker basket, the 'cista'.
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