Scribal Habits In The Ancient Near East PDF Download

"The term 'scribal habits' refers to the technical aspects of writing which are not essential components of the script, but which contibute to the interpretation of the written text to its appearance: it includes the layout of text, word separation, punctuation and divisions of text, lines that are ornamental or are for the guidance of the scribe, the correction of errors, and the dimensions of documents and manuscripts; it also covers types of writing material and writing implements which are often typical of writing systems and determine to a large extent the form that habits or conventions will take. Some scribal habits are functional; others are decorative. Methods differ from one system to another and sometimes within a system. This thesis is therefore not about what scribes wrote, but how they wrote and organised text, what materials they wrote on and which writing implements they used. The aim of the thesis will be to discuss the origins of scribal habits and devices in writing systems in the eastern Mediterranean region (including those that may not have originated in the region but are represented there); to identify the conventions that are common to all systems and those which differ; to note which habits persist to the end of the period. It will seek to demonstrate and will endeavour to explain the persistence over a long period of time of certain scribal habits; the discontinuation of others; the diffusion of habits from one culture to another and the interchangeability of some customs. The time span covered is from the beginning of the history of writing until the appearance of the first codices in the second and third centuries of the current era. [...]" -- Introduction.