Two Opisthographs and Scribal Practices in the Ancient Near Eastern World: Thoughts on Use and Reuse

Recent scholarship has developed an increasing interest in the materiality of ancient manuscripts. Opisthographs, manuscripts that contain writing on both sides, are special this regard. This short study focuses two papyrus opisthographs, originating from different collections: Oxyrhynchus Papyri and Dead Sea Scrolls. These each bear compositions front side (the recto) back verso). The Greek Papyrus 654 (dated to third century CE) contains its recto unpublished survey-list pieces land. On verso we find one three copies version Gospel Thomas. Scroll 4Q509, Festival Prayers, is a Hebrew bears verso: War (4Q496) Words Luminaries (4Q506). texts were dated first BCE middle CE. By contextualizing these manuscripts, I aim explore nature opisthographs as scribal phenomenon across cultures region. comparative research will be conducted by considering perspective codicology palaeography. Subsequently, investigate intertextual relationships between sides address related issues such ‘useful life’ possibility personal copies.