Lauryn M. Hanley (University of Washington)
Rend, Repurpose, Recycle: Religious Materialities of the Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis
The Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis (LL), or the Linen Book of Zagreb is the longest extant Etruscan text and the only surviving linen book from antiquity. The LL is also the only extant Etruscan religious text, containing a liturgical calendar referencing specific dates and methods of worshipping various Etruscan deities. However, the LL is perhaps most famous for how it survived: at an unknown time and for an unknown reason, it was brought to Egypt, cut into strips, and used to wrap the mummified remains of a young woman. This remarkable context for an Etruscan book has intrigued scholars for the past 150 years. Most scholars have focused on either the proposed narrative of its arrival in Egypt (Krall; Colonna; Benelli) or the translation and interpretation of its text (Rix; van der Meer). However, little consideration has been paid to the textile itself. In this paper I examine the existence of libri lintei in antiquity and the material composition and phenomenology of the LL to investigate an ancient person’s experience of and interaction with the object and to interrogate the stability of the textile’s religious significance over time.
First, I explore the broader phenomenon of the linen book, through references to Etruscan books in Cicero and Livy to gauge Roman understandings of libri lintei. Turning to Etruscan material culture, I examine cinerary urns, sarcophagi, and figurines to elucidate the connotations surrounding linen books and the ways in which they were used and viewed. Next, I return to a discussion of the surviving artifact itself. Its creation provides insight into the high esteem the Etruscans held for libri lintei. The methods and materials of the fabric’s production and inscription of the text suggest a high level of care and economic investment in the book. Next, I deduce the probable iterative experience of (re-)reading and (re-)using the book by synthesizing information about textile and text dimensions, indications of folding or wear, and evidence of damage and repair. The final part of my paper investigates the phenomenological experience of the LL as an object transmuted from a liturgical calendar to mummy wrappings. While many aspects of this mummification align with Egyptian practices, there are several abnormalities in the preparation and re-purposing of the textile for mummification. These abnormalities indicate that although those involved in the mummification process could no longer read the text, they nevertheless intuited its spiritual and traditional value. The sanctity of the LL as a textile and text, obtained through its creation, inscription, and re-use over time was revered long after it was no longer legible as an Etruscan religious object.