Impairments as biometric modalities in Graeco-Roman papyri, 241 BCE-299 CE

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Legal documents written in Greek dating to Graeco-Roman Egypt included, alongside the names of the participants, a standardized description of their physical form (eikōn). The eikōn provided the age, height, skin-tone, face shape, and occasionally physical impairments for the purpose of identifying the individual in question—in effect, functioning as a biometric system. This paper assesses the distribution and nature of the impairments present in the eikones of the documentary Greek papyri from Egypt from 241 BCE to 299 CE with a focus on the role of impairments as biometric identifiers, little different from other identifiers such as the shape of the face.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDisability in Ancient Egypt and Egyptology
Subtitle of host publicationAll Our Yesterdays
EditorsAlexandra F. Morris, Hannah Vogel
Chapter17
Pages257-277
Number of pages21
Edition1st.
ISBN (Electronic)9781003440369
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Dec 2024

Publication series

NameRoutledge Studies in Ancient Disabilities

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Arts and Humanities
  • General Medicine
  • General Social Sciences

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