[MUSIC] [MUSIC] A roll Is simply a relatively long and narrow bundle frighten material pro top on itself in order to render transportance soaring easier. However, we tend to associate the roll format with papyrus as writing material, the fact is that throughout history, many cultures has adopted this book format using all sort of materials available to them, not only papyrus. In this video, we will see the existing types of rolls depending on the direction of the writing. What the Greco-Roman roll of the classic period look like? And how the roll format survived in the west and adopted to the new needs of the time during the Middle Ages. Therefore, let us start with the different sorts of row that can be found depending on the disposition of the written text. According to this criteria, the roll format can adopt to variants, horizontal development and vertical development. The first type, the roll with horizontal development has the text laid in pages that is columns parallel to the roll in axis, and therefore perpendicular to the length of the band. This format is called volumen in Latin and roll paper in English. In order to read it, the reader would hold the roll horizontally with both hands in parallel. The right one holding the part of the book that he had not read yet, and the left hand the already read part. The best known examples of this type are the Greco-Roman roll from the classical period made of papyrus. And the modern used liturgical rolls containing the turang made of leather or parchment. When the written text runs vertically in a single column, parallel through the length of the band is called rotulus in Latin and a scroll in English. In order to read it, the reader grasp it in this way. One hand, normally the right one held from above the unread part. Unrolling it as he or she progressed in the reading, while the other hand from below rolled up the part already read. A good example of this type are the medieval Westernus scrolls and the modern Ethiopian rolls. A particular sort of roll is the Chinese roll made of bamboo, silk, or even paper. As Chinese is written in vertical columns from left to right, the reader holds the roll horizontally with both hands in parallel. But the writing is not laid in columns as in the western roles, but in a single long band following the whole length of the band just like scrolls. Let us pass now onto the Greco-Roman roll of the classical period. As the name suggests, it belongs to the group of horizontally lit writing and constituted the first book for modern western culture, although it was imported from Egypt together with the papyrus it was made of. Regretfully no Greek or Roman book has been preserved complete from this period. But we can make an accurate reconstruction of it, thanks to some fragments that have come down to us numerous figurative representations and some written descriptions from Greek and Roman authors. The classical roll was built out of a series of rectangular pieces of papyrus called pages, plagulae in Latin, glued in a way that the right end of each plagula was superimposed on the left end of the following one. In this way, the writing could proceed easily even on the union of two leaves that were called kollesis. The whole piece was rolled up on itself or around an axis made of wood or bone called omphalos in Greek and umbilicus in Latin, that is bellybutton. That was fixed to the edge of the band to reinforce its consistency. The endings of the umbilicus were called cornua, horns, and frequently received some kind of decoration. The top and bottom margins of the band or frontes, were carefully polished with pumice. At least in the Latin world, the first plagula or leaf of the roll was called protokollon and contained the title and author of the work copied in the roll. Because the title had to be seen when the roll was closed. Each page was written on the exterior side while the rest occupied the interior side of the role. And therefore the primaries of the protokollon run in the opposite direction from the rest. The other possibility to render available the identification of the work was a sort of label, sillybos, titulus, hanging from one of the ends of the corner of the umbilicus. Some sort of clasp, lora, and a leather sleeve, toga, for protection completed the precious object. If a work is too long to be contained in a single world, then all the rolls that have made it up were [INAUDIBLE] together in a case called Capsa. The roll receive writing only in its inner part where the fibers of papiros run horizontally. The text run in the same direction with the papiros fibers and was arranged in columns or selides, parallel to each other. The text lines received the name of stikhoi in Greek and versus in Latin, and were relatively short. Made up on the average length of the Homeric verse, which has between 34 and 28 letters and around 18 syllables. In order to read this book, the reader held it with both hands in parallel. The right hand held it and read part of the book, and the left hand the already read part. As the reading progressed, the reader would simultaneously unroll with the right hand and roll up with the left. And therefore, when he or she finished reading the text, the book was totally rolled up in the left hand and had to be rewound if somebody else wanted to read it again. This was the predominant book model and are most the only one in classical antiquity. But already during the late antiquity, the roll had to face the competition of a writing format. The codex that ended up superseding it but never completely. In fact, we still find growth during the Middle Ages, although for residual uses. But as a matter of fact in most cases, the medieval roll is artery of the scroll type with a single written column running along the whole length of the band made up almost always of parchment. Of the terms found most often in a scroll format, probably the most idiosyncratic are the necrologies and the so-called rotuli mortuorum, or scrolls of the dead. An example of necrologies in a scroll format comes from SanteRu, [INAUDIBLE] that is a very long scroll,was kept containing the names of the deceased brothers and their deceased relatives. And on the day of the general anniversary, the scroll was extended on the altar. In the image we see another necrology from the 15th century coming from the Cathedral of Gent in Belgium. There were two rotuli mortuorum scrolls containing the announcement of the death of someone important. Normally an ecclesiastical person, but not necessarily. A messenger took the scroll around the number of institutions somehow related to the deceased. And in each of them, a dedication was with an excursion of condolence or a prayer. And then finally, the messenger arrived back at his departure point. After a journey, that in some locations exceeded the 600 miles. Together with rotuli mortuorum, the old book format survived in southern Italy in the scrolls of Exultet. They were profusely decorated and were used during the [INAUDIBLE] when the deacon standing at the pulpit read from them. And as he read, he left the all ready pronounced part fall over the pulpit, so that the faithful sitting nearby could admire the magnificent illustrations that were painted upside down in relation to the writing. We also know of litanies copied on scrolls. At least one containing intercessions for King Louis the German and his wife, Queen Emma, decorated with gold and silver is documented in Frankfurt. And also poetry was copied now and then on scrolls. Another general sporadically copied in scroll form was the chronicle, and at the present a few of them have been preserved and some are not terribly long. And still ultimately were charters the written product that proved to be best fitted adopt the scroll format. Generally, they constrained themselves to reduced dimensions of the plagulae also because charters are in themselves not so long texts. But sometimes several charters more or less related to the same issue were shown each to the next one in order to form a scroll, and ensure that they wouldn't be disbanded and lost. These scrolls received a technical name of tomos synkollesimos. Some of these scrolls have been preserved in European archives. For example, one is in the national archives in Madrid, Spain and another 30 meters in length in Santa Monica of Bologna. In the image, we see the master manuscript or [INAUDIBLE] of a length of six meters from a final decades of a first half of the 15th century. [MUSIC]
