Writing History from Colophon Formulae
(2017) International Medieval Congress 2017 — Location: Leeds, University of Leeds (3.July.2017)
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- Abstract
- Stereotypical patterns represent a major share of the text of colophons and other paratextual materials in manuscripts. Being largely repetitive and conventional, this phenomenon has generally been deemed of no historical interest whatsoever. The basic fact is, though, that if the same phrase shows up in two different colophons, these colophons must be connected somehow. By tracing back those connections and through a careful analysis of variants within formulae, one is able to uncover a network of influences and contacts between scriptoria and individual copyists. This novel approach to the manuscripts supplements what can be established about them through codicological, textual and, foremost, iconographical analysis. In many instances this enables shedding light on the pivotal rôle of a particular individual in the establishment of a copying tradition. Through their copying and teaching activity, as well as through their wanderings, such copyists contributed to the perpetuation and diffusion of learned culture in historical Armenia and in the diaspora, from the 10th to the 17th century. Understanding why some formulae thrived while others fell into disuse or stayed confined to a regional area also leads to a better apprehension of the cultural dynamics at work in Mediaeval and Early Modern Armenia. The same methodology may be applied to Greek or Latin colophons, leading to similar results.
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Van Elverdinghe, E. (2017). Writing History from Colophon Formulae. International Medieval Congress 2017, Leeds, University of Leeds. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/268471