Leiden Conventions
Encyclopedia
The Leiden Conventions are an established set of rules, symbols, and brackets used to indicate the condition of an epigraphic
or papyrological
text in a modern edition. In previous centuries of classical scholarship, scholars who published texts from inscriptions, papyri, or manuscripts used divergent conventions to indicate the condition of the text and editorial corrections or restorations. The Leiden meeting was designed to help to redress this confusion.
The earliest form of the Conventions were agreed at a meeting of classical scholars at the University of Leiden in 1931, and published in an article shortly thereafter. There are minor variations in the use of the Conventions between epigraphy and papyrology (and even between Greek and Latin epigraphy). More recently, scholars have published improvements and adjustments to the system.
Epigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
or papyrological
Papyrology
Papyrology is the study of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., as preserved in manuscripts written on papyrus, the most common form of writing material in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome...
text in a modern edition. In previous centuries of classical scholarship, scholars who published texts from inscriptions, papyri, or manuscripts used divergent conventions to indicate the condition of the text and editorial corrections or restorations. The Leiden meeting was designed to help to redress this confusion.
The earliest form of the Conventions were agreed at a meeting of classical scholars at the University of Leiden in 1931, and published in an article shortly thereafter. There are minor variations in the use of the Conventions between epigraphy and papyrology (and even between Greek and Latin epigraphy). More recently, scholars have published improvements and adjustments to the system.
Most important sigla
| siglum | explanation |
|---|---|
| [...] | a lacuna or gap in the original text, not restored by the editor (extent known) |
| [— — —] | a lacuna or gap in the original text, not restored by the editor (extent unknown) |
| [abc] | letters missing from the original text due to lacuna, restored by the editor |
| a(bc) | abbreviation in the text, expanded by the editor |
| |
characters erroneously omitted by the ancient scribe, restored or corrected by the editor |
| {ab} | letters in the text considered erroneous and superfluous by the editor |
| ạḅ | characters damaged or otherwise unclear in the text, ambiguous outside of their context |
| ... | traces of letters on the surface, insufficient for restoration by the editor (Greek and Papyrological usage) |
| +++ | traces of letters on the surface, insufficient for restoration by the editor (Roman epigraphic practice) |
| ABC | clear but incomprehensible letters |
| [[abc]] | deleted letters |
| vac. | space left empty (vacat) on the stone or page |
Leiden usage in corpora
- L'Année Épigraphique, CNRS Editions, Presses Universitaires de France, (Revue Archaeologique supplement 1888-1964; autonomous 1965-). (see front matter)
- Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, Berlin: de Gruyter, 1853-. (conventions at front)
- Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Egypt Exploration Society, 1898-. (see preface)
- Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum, Lugduni Batavorum : Sijthoff, 1923-. (see front matter)
See also
- EpigraphyEpigraphyEpigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
- PapyrologyPapyrologyPapyrology is the study of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., as preserved in manuscripts written on papyrus, the most common form of writing material in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome...
- EpiDocEpiDocThe EpiDoc Collaborative, building recommendations for structured markup of epigraphic documents in TEI XML, was originally formed in 2000 by scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Tom Elliott, the former director of the Ancient World Mapping Center, with Hugh Cayless and Amy...
- Primary sourcePrimary sourcePrimary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied....
- Supplementum Epigraphicum GraecumSupplementum Epigraphicum GraecumSupplementum Epigraphicum Graecum is an annual publication collecting bibliography and summaries of Greek inscriptions published in the previous year; new inscriptions have full Greek text and critical apparatus...
- Corpus Inscriptionum LatinarumCorpus Inscriptionum LatinarumThe Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw light on all aspects of Roman life and history...