The Greek Papyrus Protocol

Extract

The recently published vol. iii. of the late Jean Maspero's Catalogue of Greek Byzantine Papyri at Cairo contains a text (No. 67316, Plate VIII.) which is of considerable importance for the study of that palaeographical crux, the Greek papyrus protocol. It may be well to recall that the protocol was the official mark placed at the top of each roll of papyrus, the manufacture of which was a Government monopoly. When the practice was first instituted we do not know, but no protocols earlier than the Byzantine period have been discovered. Justinian's Nov. xliv. c. 2 forbids notaries to use any papyrus except such as has προκείμενον τὸ καλούμενον πρωτόκολλον, φέροντὴν τοῦ κατὰ καιρὸν ἐνδοξοτάτου κόμητος τῶν θείων ἡμῶν λαργιτιόνωνπροσηγορίαν, καὶ τὸν χρόνον, καθ᾿ο῀ν ὁ χἁρτης γέγονε, καὶ ὁπόσα ἑπὶ τῶντοιούτων προγράφεται