refers practice counting lines texts romans measured length books lines modern books measured pages practice rediscovered german french scholars 19th century greek word line prose poetry derived greek word measurement length line odyssey long greek texts written standard unit ancient standard line german long epic contained syllables greek letters existed reasons paid line fee line fixed legal decree authors occasionally cited passages works authors giving approximate line number book buyers total line counts check copied texts complete library listed total number lines work title author scholars believe established athens 5th century bce copying prose works common mentioned briefly bce times early century late 4th early 3rd century casual references suggest practice routine standard line greeks romans thousand years apparently fell use byzantine greeks middle ages page numbers common standard work collects results years scholarly debate research today plays small useful role research fields diverse history ancient book christian definitions kinds total practice reporting total number lines work partial practice including series margins text usually mark line confused practice christian authors late antiquity writing texts broken phrases aid delivery modern jewish christian scholars use synonym occasional practice ancient scriptures laying texts biblical poetic verse begins new line evidence libraries europe contain medieval copies ancient greek latin texts contain short notes final page hundreds cases total number lines work texts classical authors totals expressed older athens classical period abandoned period totals thought descend content texts early editions ancient authors mention complains rival says offer description fewer lines 1st century bce philosopher criticized cited particular passages giving line number nearest line probably draws published catalogue reports total number lines authors says example wrote aristotle wrote wrote lines lists line totals books concludes anonymous note apparently written book dealer 4th century practice familiar list line totals books bible available city rome reliable greed complete gone individual book counting syllables line recorded number book beginning 19th century archaeologists discovered large number greek egypt describes provide direct ancient evidence total partial leading german mid-19th century stimulated interest mysterious found end medieval manuscripts discussing essays article called making proved end medieval manuscripts proportional length work fact gave total number fixed unit equal line discovery established concept standard line studying dialogues oxford noticed isolated letters margins dialogues formed series marked standard line alpha beta etc able manuscripts similar marginal markings article named kind line counting partial contrasted total studied known nature ancient book substantially widened research saw breakthrough led cascade insights practices publishing kinds formats editions antiquity led broader study spatial organization ancient books social economic intellectual roles said investigations recently deceased taken prematurely world scholarship henceforth certain standard line unit spatial length equal erected nature ancient book foundation page work stimulated practical questions ancient culture books grew broad reorganization knowledge ancient literature intellectual life introduction argued nature literature antiquity form ancient book context publication modified literary creativity investigations far exceed satisfaction merely antiquarian pleasures theories interpretations dated superseded later research permanently deepened histories ancient book connected broad range intellectual literary issues book extended new developments analysis data found early manuscripts christian texts published survey found excavated end 19th beginning 20th centuries archaeologists discovered large number greek egyptian tombs city contained interested question data provided clues aid fragments studied found excavated italy book contained complete survey treasure newly discovered regarded standard work discusses length standard line evidence counting number systems reports aims history greeks romans byzantines catalog ancient survey line reports medieval manuscripts collected provide wide range evidence ancient practices evolution centuries summarized research catalog library alexandria discussed role ongoing efforts reconstruct excavated oxford_university restoration claimed articles book musical structure dialogues counted lines dialogues order insert symbolic passages regular intervals formed musical patterns kinds evidence practice copying techniques argued totals manuscripts descended earliest editions totals supposed excerpts documentary evidence inserted speeches present early editions late book documents attic includes introduction
Stichometry