Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (14.2002(2003))

NAQLUN

EGYPT

elements (crosses, knots). Furthermore, the
capitals in the left hand margins are
doubled in color and the same procedure is
followed for most of the high points that
are used, as well as for the abbreviation
strokes put over the nomina sacra.
For the text black ink is used through-
out, with the occasional use of color for
highlighting the elements specified above.
The script is not the well known upright
Sahidic uncial, characteristic, for example,
of the numerous literary parchment codices
from the nearby scriptorium of Toutoun
(Stegemann's “schmaler Stil”), but the neat
slightly right-sloping semi-uncial, typical
of most colophons from the same source
(Stegemann's “Subskriptionsschrift”).3) 4
This clear and straightforward script is
also frequently found in late (10th-11th
century) documents from the region, as
well as in liturgical manuscripts.Howev-
er, the copyist was well acquainted with the
literary upright uncial, for both the
headlines of the first text page and the
colophon on page 142 are written in this
style. Also in the main body of the text, the
copyist from time to time lapses from the
sloping colophon style into the upright
literary style (e.g. page 5, line 17). This
would show that he was habitually working
rather in the latter style or, perhaps, that he
copied a model in that style.
The main text looks like the work of a
single hand, clearly that of a practiced
professional. Letters are neat and clearly
drawn. There are very few corrections;
merely once or twice a forgotten syllable
was added by the same hand. Punctuation
consists mainly of single high points,
frequently thickened with color into a dot.

These points and dots are placed regularly
and logically, dividing the text into
syntactic units; they may be followed by
a blank space. Paragraphs, generally quite
short, are marked off by enlarged capitals in
the left-hand margins and sometimes start
on a new line. Occasionally, an obelos-like
sign (colon plus long stroke) replaces the
high point at the end of a paragraph,
leaving the rest of the line blank. No ad-
ditional paragraph-signs or marginal
ornaments occur and there is no trace of any
other subdivision of the text (e.g. in
kepbalaia). Supralineation is regular. Both
single syllabic consonants and clusters can
bear a short stroke, often shortened into
a point. Occasionally also vowels in open
syllables are marked in this way (e.g. page
68, line 10: Noy^oyo). Consonantic I
usually bears a diaeresis. Nomina sacra are
abbreviated in the conventional way by
long strokes that are doubled in color and
thereby clearly distinguished from the
short and swift strokes marking a schwa.
The codex contains the Gospel of Saint
John in Sahidic followed by three
colophons. The first colophon occupies the
lower half of page 142. Distinct from the
gospel text itself, it is written in upright
uncials; it is, moreover, framed between
two lines of colored interlace decoration. It
is an anonymous prayer for the purchaser of
the codex and most probably shows that it
was bought ready-made. Below the second
line of decoration, the year of production is
stated in big letters: AH 493, which
corresponds to AD November 1099-
October 1100.5) The other colophons are on
the much ruined final leaf of the codex
(page 143). The upper half of the leaf is

3) See V. Stegemann, Koptische Palaographie (Heidelberg 1936).
4) E.g. the Hamouli "typika", Depuydt, op. cit., nos. 58 and 59, or a late Sahidic-Arabic lectionary like K. Schiissler,
Biblia Coptica: Die koptischen Bibeltexte (Wiesbaden 1995), vol. 1, fasc 3, sa 74L (with Tafel 7).
5) For a similar arrangement, see Depuydt, op. cit., vol. 2, pi. 212 (Hamouli, 9th century).

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