Physical Descriptions, Biometrics, and Eikonographia in Graeco-Roman Papyri from Egypt (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9789004544802)

In modern life, an identity document bearing a photograph is an indispensable feature. Yet this connection between physical appearance and legal identity is not as modern as it may seem. In Graeco-Roman Egypt, Greek texts also bore "lexical photographs" standardised, detailed physical descriptions (eikones) of individuals including height, skin colour, hair texture, the shape of the nose and face, and other identifiers like body modifications and disabilities. For the first time, this book collects the nearly 4000 extant eikones and their role in society, bringing the images of real individuals to life within the everyday biometric system in which they acted, worked, and relied upon for identification.

Author: Ella Karev
ISBN-10: 9004544801
ISBN-13: 9789004544802
Publisher: Brill
Language: English
Published: 10/17/2024
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover