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What was on an early Roman codex before the actual text of the author? For example, we have the title, author, copyright notifications and other publication information. In contrast what would you expect to see on a Roman manuscript?

I am asking about specifically copied work.

What motivates me is a comparison to early Christian codices like the book of the Bible Epistle to the Hebrews, but I am asking in general.

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    What exactly is 'the codex called Book of Hebrews'? Do you mean the Bible, or the 'Book' 'Epistle to the Hebrews' within the Bible? Perhaps you can explain a bit more detail about your specific motivation, rather than the general one, as strictly non-Christian 'complete' codices are extremely rare anyway and we might be faced with an XY-problem for this case? Specifically, I suspect the inquiry revolves around 'Paul's' epistle and its 'authorship', and so we might have to look at how letters were structured?
    – LаngLаngС
    May 5, 2022 at 22:55
  • @LаngLаngС I mean the 'Book' 'Epistle to the Hebrews' within the Bible. what I'm intere4sted to know is whether known authorship would be expected to be found on the book, or even with known authors the codex would not necessarily include that. (Sort of like the birth date of authors are generally not included in books even today.)
    – Kyle Johansen
    May 6, 2022 at 9:17
  • That would make a (presumably) useful answer slightly different/bigger (if 'typical Roman codex' should remain in Q). Asking directly for 'the specific' might be the better option? In any case: please edit your clarifications into the main question body, so that it will stand on its own, should the comments get deleted.
    – LаngLаngС
    May 6, 2022 at 11:43
  • Could you re-phrase that? Combining the Question title and exposition, it reads as though you're Asking about some kind of prefix in common…
    – Robbie Goodwin
    May 13, 2022 at 19:53

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I've read many ancient texts, but I'm not sure how many of them were copied in a early Roman codex like you mention. Some Greek text from Egypt might have been originally writen in codex format already about 100 BCE. From that point in time on, the codices became more popular, quite rapidly, for new works (not only copies).

That said, many of the ancient Roman and Greek texts just start directly, many with some "provision", like this:

This is the display of the inquiry of Herodotus of Halicarnassus, so that things done by man not be forgotten in time, and that great and marvelous deeds, some displayed by the Hellenes, some by the barbarians, not lose their glory, including among others what was the cause of their waging war on each other.

I've seen this parttern quite freqüently. Also in Christian texts, such as the letter's.

Also, consider that indices and lexicons were frequently made using the first words of the referred text (see byzantine Suda Encyclopedia). Sometimes they contain complete copies of the original texts.

One codex I know, which fits as "early Roman codex" is the Chronography of the Year 354. You can browse it online. This is but a Renaissance copy of a original document, not a "copy per se" during Roman times. Yet, I think the format was preserved, since it is mentioned by the copyists. This Calendar of Philocalus is a very good example of a Codex formating in the time period you are interested in. Nevertheless, have in mind this is an exceptional document, not something anyone could understand to be of general use. Formating sure was much more simple than in this example.

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