The Length of the Standard Papyrus Roll and the Cost-Advantage of the Codex

Abstract

Naphtali Lewis in his invaluable Papyrus in Classical Antiquity in commenting on Pliny's well-known statement that in the manufacture of papyrus there were never more than twenty sheets in roll remarks that there is an a priori consideration that an industry which had standardized the sizes of the individual sheets of papyrus would also standardize the length of the rolls. This chapter looks at much-debated subject, the alleged advantage of the codex over the roll. It has been often asserted that one practical advantage which the codex possessed was that it was cheaper to produce, since it made use of both sides of the writing material. The chapter suggests positive evaluation of one of the advantages which has been claimed for the codex in its long-drawn out duel with the roll. Keywords: classical antiquity; Naphtali Lewis; papyrus; Pliny's statement

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