The laity, the clergy, the scribes and their archives: the documentary record of eighth- and ninth-century Italy

Costambeys, Marios

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139177993.009

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…In the eighth century, some scribes only signed with their name, while in the ninth century, the addition of the title became predominant. The main dividing line is between ecclesiastical and lay scribes, 46 and this distinction also underlies the discussion of the present section. Ecclesiastical scribes announced their degree of ordination, such as clericus 'clerk', 47 diaconus 'deacon', or presbyter 'priest', whereas lay scribes typically defined themselves as notaries, notarii.…”

Section: The Professional Status Of Scribesmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…44 However, Marios Costambeys emphasizes that, although emperors and counts did try to regulate scribal activity, the laicization of charter production in Italy should be mainly ascribed to a general proliferation of legal writing during the early medieval centuries. 45 As a whole, the spelling of non-Luccan scribes remains less correct than that of Luccan scribes throughout the time span under examination. The spelling of non-Luccan scribes in formulaic parts varies between 85.6% and 97.2%, with most scribes performing between 92% and 94%, while the spelling of Luccan scribes in formulaic parts ranges from 88.6% to 98.5%, with most fitting between 92% and 96% and notably many around 97%.…”

Section: Diatopy and Diplomatic Registermentioning

confidence: 96%

“…It seems to be generally assumed that clerics did not conceal their ecclesiastical status, so most scribes with no title would likely be laymen. 51 In fact, many of them may have been notaries or amanuenses belonging to some count's or bishop's entourage. 52 On the whole, scribes with no title are relatively early (all before 838 in Lucca and before 813 elsewhere, with a mean of 775 in Lucca and 778 outside Lucca).…”

Section: The Professional Status Of Scribesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spelling correctness as a witness of changing documentary culture in Tuscia (eighth–ninth centuries)

Korkiakangas

2023

Early Medieval Europe

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This paper discusses the evolution of documentary culture in early medieval Tuscia by quantitatively examining the Latin spelling of charter scribes in relation to the following factors: time, the distinction between the formulaic and non‐formulaic parts of the document, the scribe’s domicile, the scribe’s professional status, and the document type. The paper asks what the spelling of charters tells us about administrative and socio‐cultural changes in charter production and in scribal education. The research data is 997 charters from the Late Latin Charter Treebank, and the approach that of philological corpus linguistics.

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Section: The Professional Status Of Scribesmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Diatopy and Diplomatic Registermentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: The Professional Status Of Scribesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spelling correctness as a witness of changing documentary culture in Tuscia (eighth–ninth centuries)

Korkiakangas

2023

Early Medieval Europe

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“…The whole inscription could be interpreted as a graphical composition aimed at sending a message both to the literate and the majority of illiterate believers (Costambeys 2012).…”

Section: Interpretation Of the Messagementioning

confidence: 99%

A Puzzling Religious Inscription from Medieval Tuscany: Symbology and Interpretation

Vicari

Cacciafoco

2023

Histories

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At the entrance of some churches in Tuscany (Italy), the reproduction of an apparently undecipherable inscription can be found. Beginning in the 18th century, this epigraphic puzzle has originated a debate on its interpretation. This study proposes a hypothesis based on the Latin alphabet used in texts contemporary to the churches where the inscription is reproduced and a possible interpretation of the message consistent with the official religious doctrine. The proposed deciphering is extended to the full text, including some signs that were previously considered geometric forms or a specific elaboration of letters not attested in other contemporary documents.

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“…The whole inscription could be interpreted as a graphical composition aimed at sending a message both to the literate and to the majority of illiterate beleivers (Costambeys, 2012).…”

Section: Interpretation Of the Messagementioning

confidence: 99%

A Puzzling Religious Inscription from Medieval Tuscany: Simbology and Interpretation

Vicari¹,

Cacciafoco²

2023

Preprint

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At the entrance of some churches in Tuscany (Italy), the reproduction of an apparently undecipherable inscription can be found. At least from the 18th century, this epigraphic puzzle has originated a debate on its interpretation. This study proposes a hypothesis based on the Latin alphabet used in texts contemporary to the churches where the inscription is reproduced and a possible interpretation of the message consistent with the official religious doctrine. The proposed deciphering is extended to the full text, including some signs that were previously considered as geometric forms or a specific elaboration of letters not attested in other contemporary documents.

show abstract

The laity, the clergy, the scribes and their archives: the documentary record of eighth- and ninth-century Italy

Cited by 5 publications

References 17 publications

Spelling correctness as a witness of changing documentary culture in Tuscia (eighth–ninth centuries)

Spelling correctness as a witness of changing documentary culture in Tuscia (eighth–ninth centuries)

A Puzzling Religious Inscription from Medieval Tuscany: Symbology and Interpretation

A Puzzling Religious Inscription from Medieval Tuscany: Simbology and Interpretation

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