Lewis on Papyrus Terminology: More on "Calamus" & "Kalamos"
Since my previous post about the kalameia plots in Egypt, I've been delving deeper into this topic, and one valuable resource that's been guiding my research is Naphtali Lewis's book Papyrus in Classical Antiquity. Despite being published in 1974, this book remains an incredibly useful resource on the topic. The reason I find Lewis's book so helpful is its wealth of technical terms and insights into the diverse terminologies used by ancient authors to describe papyrus and related plants. Understanding these terms is crucial for the question “How can we identify papyrus in the Oxyrhynchus documents?”
One of the key takeaways from Lewis's work is the variable use of papyrus-related terminology in different ancient texts. He provides a list of glosses that ancient authors used to describe papyrus in Greek and Latin. Here are a few examples he mentions:
This variation in terminology indicates the flexibility and interchangeability of these terms in describing not only papyrus but also different sedges and reeds. Lewis even highlights that in Pliny's writings, terms like “scirpus”, “sari”, and “calamus” were often used to serve the same purposes as papyrus. However, it's crucial to note that Roman writers seemed to exclusively associate the word “charta" with Egyptian paper. They did not consider these reeds as materials for paper production.
So, the question remains “Does the use of foreign terminology in ancient texts indicate the actual presence of papyrus?” The answer isn't clear-cut. Lewis provides examples of ancient references to "papyrus" in locations outside of Egypt, but these references don't necessarily confirm the existence of papyrus plants in those areas.
Now, let's circle back to the term "calamus." This word, clearly derived from the Greek "kalamos," is used in a similar manner to papyrus according to Pliny. Slater also notes the general usage of kalamos for any type of plant that is between shrubs and trees. Especially considering that the reeds cultivated in these vineyards are referred to as both, "flous" and "kalamos," both of which I can now confirm have terminological connections to the papyrus plant. These considerations add further to the possibility that vineyards with kalameia in the Oxyrhynchus nome could have been cultivating papyrus.
While it's an open question and part of the ongoing research for my dissertation, the idea that these vineyards might have played a role in papyrus production is a promising avenue of exploration. As I continue to uncover evidence and build arguments, the most I can say for now is that these vineyards may have had a hand in producing papyrus and that I”m still on the look-out for further evidence in this direction.