Daniel, Robert W.
Architectural Orientation in the Papyri

The study addresses the vocabulary of house orientation in the papyri and its implications for the architecture of houses in Graeco-Roman Egypt, discussing architectural key terms and special features of these houses, including also evidence from other than papyri sources. - In 12 chapters this book deals with the architectural orientation in the Greek papyri from Egypt - in particular in P. Nessana 22, drawn up in 566 AD. Chapter 1, 2 and 4 are chiefly concerned with papyri from the Roman and Byzantine Near East , Chapter 3 and 5-12 are devoted mainly to Egypt. The first four chapters begin and end with discussion of terms in the Nessana and Petra papyri that pertain to architectural orientation, which is usually determined by the relationship of houses or rooms, via doors and/or windows, to the open space of a courtyard. A central term discused in these chapters is the Greek word 'aulê' that is most commonly used for 'house property' or the courtyard itself. Chapter 5 turns to similar phrases in the Greek papyri from Egypt, provides a survey of terms for architectural orientation in the greek papyri from Egypt. Chapter 6 discusses the uses of the terms bearing on architectural orientation. Chapter 7 and 8 are concerned with general architectural orientation: chapter 7 addresses "North" as the preferred orientation of houses in Egypt; Chapter 8 discusses the orientation of individual rooms. Chapter 9-12 discuss several topics related in one way or another to earlier chapters (ventilated rooftop pantries, 'aithrion', 'exedra' as a closable structure). Chapter 12 discusses the term 'oikopedon'. XXII,240 Seiten mit 49 Abb. und 14 Tabellen, broschiert (Abhandlungen der Nordrhein-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste. Sonderreihe Papyrologica Coloniensia; Vol. XXXIV/Verlag Ferdinand Schöningh 2010) leichte Lagerspuren/near mint