4 ms·
> Some were destroyed in events like library fires, but others were lost when the parchment they were written on was repurposed. For example, fragments of manus
by yaomtc 4y ago
> Some were destroyed in events like library fires, but others were lost when the parchment they were written on was repurposed. For example, fragments of manuscripts were used to bind books and wrap meat. Tailors also used them as measuring tapes. They were also used as material for a bishop’s miter.
I think most of these were lost before any region had one large place known as "the dump", a relatively modern thing
- Bayart 4y agoDumps are as old as urbanism. The largest collection of papyrii is a dump[1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyrhynchus_Papyri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyrhynchus_Papyri
- dendrite9 4y agoMiddens count as dumps I'd argue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midden Also that's a fascinating link you shared, thanks.
- bhaak 4y agoThere's a hill in Rome that's entirely made out millions of amphorae. Gives a fascinating view into Roman mass commerce. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Testaccio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Testaccio
- bluGill 4y agoParchment doesn't last very long in anything other than ideal environments. Deserts are ideal and so we have found things like the dead sea scrolls in Israel, and Egypt has similar treasures (none I can think of off hand, but they have them). Put parchment in a dump in rainy England and it will rot away in a few hundred years. The manuscripts we have mostly exist because the people of the past (often Christian monks) cared enough about them to make a copy - by hand. (I assume Monks in places like China or India have been making copies in the same way, I just don't know for sure)
- xhevahir 4y agoThe Nag Hammadi library is a famous Egyptian one. The story of its discovery and near-destruction is pretty crazy: https://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/manuscripts/nag_hammadi.htm https://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/manuscripts/nag_hammadi.h...
- verbify 4y agoThey would also rub out the ink and reuse the paper. The term for this is Palimpsest: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palimpsest https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palimpsest I came across this practice when reading the Chapter of Fathers in the Mishna: "Elisha ben Abuyah said: He who learns when a child, to what is he compared? To ink written upon a new writing sheet. And he who learns when an old man, to what is he compared? To ink written on palimpsest. Rabbi Yose ben Judah a man of Kfar Ha-babli said: He who learns from the young, to what is he compared? To one who eats unripe grapes, and drinks wine from his vat; And he who learns from the old, to what is he compared? To one who eats ripe grapes, and drinks old wine. Rabbi [Yehuda] said: don’t look at the container but at that which is in it: there is a new container full of old wine, and an old [container] in which there is not even new [wine]."