BIG & Small: The Size of Documents as a Semiotic Resource for Graeco-Roman Egypt

Everyday documentary texts have external characteristics that can also be seen as an expression of the socio-cultural context of writing. Among these are the writing material, the language choice and the document format. A basic feature of the latter is size. Can the size of ancient documents be considered as a ‘semiotic resource’? The Greek documentary papyri from Greco-Roman Egypt offer a wide range of typologies which cover a span of 1,000 years: were very large and very small papyri written for a special purpose? A preliminary investigation will explore the relationship between the size of the script and the size of the document. Then, a more in-depth analysis will approach two specific categories of documents, the large circus programs and the small party invitations. The first consists of a total of just seven papyri belonging to late antiquity; in the second are included about 50 pieces from the 2nd to the 4th century AD, which were studied as a group in different papers just a few years ago. An addition to the list of party invitations is an inedited PSI of Florence of very small format (only 4,1 x 2,5 cm). In general, a large format was used to underline official power and for stronger communication, while a small format was appropriate for expressing private feelings and personal needs, thanks to the possibility of keeping small documents among personal items, and in some way protected and hidden If the size of documents should be taken into account as a semiotic resource for Greco-Roman Egypt, then the study of circus programs and party invitations allows us discover the standards for everyday communication practices.