Rotoli medievali greci e latini (e non solo): tipologie, funzioni, prospettive di ricerca

The medieval roll (scroll) – which was predominantly (but not exclusively) oriented in a vertical way – is a much less widespread book format with respect to the codex: nevertheless, it was widely used, both for literary and documentary purposes, throughout the course of the Middle Ages and still much beyond the introduction of the printing press; it was also present in the principal Mediterranean codex cultures, as well as widely represented in Asian manuscript traditions. Despite the significant number of surviving specimens and the existence of some in-depth studies dedicated to single typologies (Southern Italian Exultet rolls, amulets, mortuary rolls ...), a comprehensive overview of the characteristics and functions of the medieval roll – to be preferably carried out in a comparative perspective – is still a desideratum of manuscript research. Basing on the review of available data on the spread of the literary bookroll in Greek and Latin Middle Ages (with occasional references to other Mediterranean traditions) and extending the method of analysis previously applied to the comparison between Greek liturgical rolls and Latin Exultet rolls, the contribution wants to draw attention to the opportunity of a more systematic and in-depth bibliological analysis of the medieval roll, based on a thorough examination of its material and structural characteristics.