Apparatus Criticus - Symbols in and Under The Text
Apparatus Criticus - Symbols in and Under The Text
Apparatus Criticus - Symbols in and Under The Text
[...] Square brackets, or in recent editions wavy brackets "{...},” enclose words etc. an editor thinks should be
deleted (see "del.").
[...] Square brackets in a papyrus text, or in an inscription, enclose places where words have been lost
through physical damage. If this happens in mid-line, editors use "[...].” If only the end of the line is missing,
they use a single bracket "[..." If the line's beginning is missing, they use .”..]" Within the brackets, often each
dot represents one missing letter.
[[...]] Double brackets enclose letters or words deleted by a copyist.
(...) Round brackets are used to supplement words abbreviated by the original copyist; e.g. in an inscription:
"trib(unus) milit(tum) leg(ionis) III"
<...> diamond brackets enclose words etc. that an editor has added (see "suppl.")
† An obelus (pl. obeli) means that the word(s etc.) is irreparably corrrupt. If only one word is corrupt, there is
only one obelus, which precedes the word; if two or more words are corrupt, two obeli enclose them. (older
editions sometimes dagger several words using only one obelus.)
a dot under a letter (used for papyrus texts, inscriptions) means that an "a,” for example, seems to be an "a,”
but the traces are very faint and it could conceivably be some other letter.