Shane Butler

Shane Butler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He specializes in ancient textual traditions and manuscript analysis, particularly focusing on Ciceronian palimpsests.

• Recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Penn Faculty Fellow in the Humanities (2002–2003)

His research explores fragmented speeches of Cicero preserved in late-antique palimpsests, including a recently acquired set of photographs from Milan’s Biblioteca Ambrosiana (MS R 57 sup.). These manuscripts, erased and reused in the 7th century, reveal previously overlooked textual divisions in Cicero’s works through ultraviolet imaging and chemical reagents. This discovery challenges prevailing assumptions about ancient reading practices, punctuation, and manuscript formatting, linking physical text structures to Rome’s oratorical traditions.

His work intersects with broader fields such as classical philology, Latin literature, and the history of ancient books.