From Arthur.Pomeroy@vuw.ac.nz Sun Sep 17 16:19:52 2000
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Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 11:19:47 +1200
To: classics@u.washington.edu
From: Arthur Pomeroy <Arthur.Pomeroy@vuw.ac.nz>
Subject: Re: pigeon hole legend
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>David Lupher wrote:
>  >
>  >       The ordinary length
>  > 	came to be closely prescribed by custom.  In the Hellenistic
>  > 	period and later, the subdivision of extensive works of
>  > 	literature into books (tomoi, libri) was determined as much
>  > 	by the conventional length of the book roll as by considerations
>  > 	of content.  Older long works (such as those of Herodotus,
>  > 	Thucydides, and Homer) had divisions imposed on them, and
>  > 	authors of long new works made their own divisions by taking
>  > 	the customary length of rolls into account.  Thus the physical
>  > 	unit of the roll tended to function also as a literary unit.
>  >
>
>Right, that's the proposition in general (and the pigeon holes as a
>specific instantiation) that I'd like to see the positive evidence for.
>Is this inference from practice (in which case the point about the
>delicacy of Hellenistic laps as opposed to Halicarnassian laps is keen) or
>is it reflection of some ancient testimony?
>
>Jim O'Donnell

There is also the curious case of Naevius' Bellum Punicum, in one 
continuous book (uno volumine et continenti scriptura expositum: 
Suet. Gramm. 2), divided into seven by Gaius Octavius Lampadio (late 
2nd century BC?). Could it really have been in one roll previously? I 
don't have Bob Kaster's commentary at hand to see if he attempts to 
solve this one.

Art Pomeroy

*************************************************************************
A/Prof Arthur J. Pomeroy,        Dept.of Classics (Te Tari Ahuatanga Onamata),
Victoria University of Wellington, P.O.Box 600, Wellington,   New Zealand
Tel: 64-4-463-6781  (home 64-4-970-6036);              Fax:64-4-463-5388
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