The
top portion of the left-hand side of a diptych containing the beginning of a
letter to Cerialis. The top left-hand corner, where the name of the sender will
have been, is missing; three small scraps, each containing parts of letters,
probably come from this part of the leaf but cannot be accurately positioned.
The writer informs Cerialis that, in accordance with the latter's wish, he has
marked the dies Kalendarum (New Year's Day) by a sacrifice. 261 contains
a New Year's greeting from Hostilius Flavianus to Cerialis but there is no
reason to connect 265 with Flavianus and the hand of 261 is
certainly different. A notable palaeographical feature is that the writer
several times marks the letter a with an apex,
without regard to the quantity of the vowel (see above, pp.57-61). There is
also a high apex-like mark over the m of salutem in line
2, on which see above, p.57.
open image zooming viewer
Vindolanda Inventory No. 87.599
Introduction
The top portion of the left-hand side of a diptych containing the beginning of a letter to Cerialis. The top left-hand corner, where the name of the sender will have been, is missing; three small scraps, each containing parts of letters, probably come from this part of the leaf but cannot be accurately positioned. The writer informs Cerialis that, in accordance with the latter's wish, he has marked the dies Kalendarum (New Year's Day) by a sacrifice. 261 contains a New Year's greeting from Hostilius Flavianus to Cerialis but there is no reason to connect 265 with Flavianus and the hand of 261 is certainly different. A notable palaeographical feature is that the writer several times marks the letter a with an apex, without regard to the quantity of the vowel (see above, pp.57-61). There is also a high apex-like mark over the m of salutem in line 2, on which see above, p.57.