From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Fri Jan 05 1996 - 12:46:36 EST
In addition to what David Moore has just posted, here's another response to
the same question that just came in to the Classics list this morning.
Pardon the double posting for subscribers to both lists.
>Date: Fri, 5 Jan 1996 16:07:00 +0100 (MET)
>Reply-To: classics@u.washington.edu
>Sender: CLASSICS-owner@u.washington.edu
>Precedence: bulk
>From: "R.L. Hunsucker" <R.L.Hunsucker@let.uva.nl>
>To: classics@u.washington.edu
>Cc: byzans-l@mizzou1.missouri.edu
>Subject: Re: Mistery square
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>X-Sender: laval@cclsun01
>Status:
>
>Dear G. Lattanzi,
> I think that you will find what you need in the book by Ulrich Ernst
>entitled _Carmen figuratum : Geschichte des Figurengedichts von
>den antiken Urspruengen bis zum Ausgang des Mittelalters_. - Koeln [etc.]
>: Boehlau, 1991. - (_Pictura et poesis_ ; Bd.1). His tenth chapter (p.
>429-459, with numerous illustrations) is entitled "Das Sator-Quadrat in
>Antike und Mittelalter" (1.: "Zum Stand der Forschungsdiskussion"; 2.:
>"Neue Deutungsperspektiven").
> I have a nagging feeling that I also saw an article on the subject a
>few years back, but can't for the life of me recall where. If I have time
>I'll do a quick search in the GBD, DCB and some other electronic
>bibliographies when I'm at my other office later today. (TOCS-IN yielded
>nothing.)
> I do hope that the above will be of some help to you.
> Best regards,
> - L. Hunsucker,
> Amsterdam
>
>[Question was posted to Byzans-L AND Classics.]
>On Fri, 5 Jan 1996, Giovanni Lattanzi wrote:
>
>> Dear list members,
>> I'm an italian journalist specialized in archaeology and history, and this
>> is my very first time here on CLASSICS just I got subscription few days ago.
>> I'd like to ask you informations about the following phrase :
>>
>> SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS
>>
>> I've found it on the main wall of some churchs here in Italy. It's written
>> on the stone in the following way :
>>
>> SATOR
>> AREPO
>> TENTE
>> OPERA
>> ROTAS
>>
>> It appears like 5 words of 5 characters each one, to make a 5 letter side
>> square. Someone calls it the "magic square". No one knows what is it, where
>> does it come from and who did it. In some places the carved stone is up side
>> down.
>> In possible, I'd like to know :
>>
>> 1) if someone of you have seen it somewhere (with all possible details about
>> the place).
>>
>> 2) if someone of you has any information about it.
>>
>> 3) any source reporting about it.
>>
>> Many thanks in advance.
>>
>>
>> Giovanni Lattanzi
>> 21 via milano
>> Giulianova 64022.TE
>> ITALY
>> tel and FAX international prefix + 85 + 8007373
>> E mail giolat@mbox.vol.it
>>
>>
>>
>
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA 63130
(314) 935-4018
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwc@oui.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
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