Pasquale I e gli orizzonti culturali del papato nei secoli VIII e IX. Riflessioni sulla documentazione papiracea

The article aims at reflecting on the cultural references of papal documentary production at the time of Paschal I, more in general during the eighth and ninth centuries, starting from sources hitherto scarcely exploited by historians: the original documents written on papyrus. The analysis of materials, structures, contents, and writers allows not only to better understand some writing practices at the basis of the Liber Pontificalis, but also to grasp more clearly the Mediterranean horizon within which documents and writers operated. It was in a context of intense exchanges between East and West – especially in the seventh century but also during the eighth and ninth centuries – that papal officers and scriniarii in particular acquired their cultural physiognomy: this is well demonstrated by the formation of the so-called “curial writing”, part of a wider Mediterranean cultural koinè. The pontificate of Paschal I fits well within such frame: without putting aside the relationships with Carolingian rulers, both administrative structures and religious affairs mantained contact with the East.