The Journal of
The Australian Institute of Archaeology
Buried History publishes papers and reviews based on the results of research relating to Eastern Mediterranean, Near Eastern and Classical Archaeology, Epigraphy and the Biblical text, and the history of such research and archaeology generally for an informed readership.
Buried History 2017 Volume 53
Table of Contents
​Jamieson, Andrew, Emeritus Professor Antonio Giuseppe Sagona FSA FAHA AM 1956–2017: portrait of a scholar, 3-10
Gerber, Albrecht, An Unexplored 11th Century Gospel Lectionary in Sydney, 11-8
Balderstone, Susan, G.R.H. Wright and the Restoration of Ancient Monuments, 19-34
​Charlesworth, Scott D., A reused roll or a ‘curious Christian codex’? Reconsidering British Library Papyrus 2053 (P.Oxy. 8.1075 + P.Oxy. 8.1079), 35-44
Benjamin W. Roberts and Christopher P. Thornton, eds., Archaeometallurgy in Global Perspective: Methods and Syntheses, New York: Springer 2014, 46-50, reviewed by David Sanders
​
​Eric H. Cline, Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology, with illustrations by Glynnis Fawkes, Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2017, 50-2, reviewed by Christopher J. Davey
Papers
Reviews
Emeritus Professor Antonio Giuseppe Sagona FSA FAHA AM 1956–2017: portrait of a scholar
Andrew Jamieson
The death of Antonio (Tony) Sagona on 29 June 2017 deprived the field of Near Eastern archaeology generally, and the University of Melbourne in particular, of a most distinguished scholar. Tony played a crucial role in promoting and developing the study of archaeology at the University of Melbourne. His unwavering commitment to research, combined with rigorous archaeological fieldwork techniques, an engaging teaching style and remarkable personal generosity, transformed the discipline. When Tony was appointed to the faculty in 1984, archaeology at the University of Melbourne was scattered across History, Middle Eastern Studies and Classics (Davey 2014; Sagona 1988). In a few short years, he consolidated the discipline and introduced the archaeology major which would attract a legion of students.
An Unexplored 11th Century Gospel Lectionary in Sydney
Albrecht ​​Gerber
This paper draws attention to an unexplored document of historical significance, namely the Codex Angus. It is a 1000-year-old Greek parchment lectionary held by the archive of the Sydney University’s Rare Book and Special Collections Library. The codex was brought from Germany to Australia in 1936 and although at that time it was lauded in The Sydney Morning Herald as ‘of marvellous beauty of workmanship, and in perfect condition,’ it remains almost completely unknown and has never yet been seriously analysed. This paper investigates the checkered history of the manuscript’s journey to Sydney and signals its potential usefulness to codicology, textual criticism, palaeography, or even social anthropology.
G.R.H. Wright and the Restoration of Ancient Monuments
Susan Balderstone
G.R.H. Wright worked in the Middle East and India on the restoration of ancient monuments during a period when principles for conservation and restoration practice established in Europe following the Second World War began to evolve to accommodate the needs of fast-developing Asia. The paper describes his experience as he learned on the job in the Middle East and tried to forge his way through the cultural complexities in India providing an early illustration of the issues that have come to the fore in recent years regarding authenticity as it relates to reconstruction.
A reused roll or a ‘curious Christian codex’? Reconsidering British Library Papyrus 2053 (P.Oxy. 8.1075 + P.Oxy. 8.1079)
Scott D. Charlesworth
Recently, Brent Nongbri has proposed that British Library Papyrus 2053 came from a codex and not a roll. His primary concern is codicology and he pays no attention to scribal tendencies, including the implications of the palaeographical characteristics of the hand. In a careful reassessment that takes into consideration codicology, palaeography, scribal tendencies, and the physical condition of the papyrus itself, Nongbri’s argument is found to be flawed in a number of ways which speak directly to the possible origins of BL Pap. 2053. All indications are that a third-century Christian used the back of a roll containing Exodus to produce a copy of Revelation for ‘private’ use.
​
​
​
​
​