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Illuminated medieval manuscripts are of outstanding value and their preservation is of great importance, not only because of their beauty but also because of the information they contain about medieval society. This work focuses on the evaluation of the parchment's state of preservation of the Prayer book of Mary of Guelders, which comprises about 600 folios. The knowledge gained should support the decision-making process regarding suitable conservation measures. An assessment of the preservation state of the parchment was performed from the macro- down to the microscale. Optical observations of cracks in the parchment and colour measurements preceded chemical analyses. The hydrothermal stability of the fibres was evaluated by means of observations using a micro hot table (MHT). The chemical state of preservation of parchment was evaluated using Laboratory-based Fourier transform (FT) Infrared (IR) analysis in reflection mode as well as synchrotron FTIR imaging in transmission mode at the IRIS beamline at BESSY II/ HZB in Berlin. The study allowed the conclusion that the parchment of the Prayer book of Mary of Guelders was in good state of preservation and indicated that the parchment changes were mainly caused by mechanical stress on the folios due to tight binding of the book and not by chemical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publication in 2007 of a complete text of Galen's De indolentia has stimulated a renewed interest in Galen as a source for Roman book culture, especially the early history of the codex. One phrase at De indolentia 33 is particularly important in these discussions, διφθέρας πυκτάς ("fist-sized parchments"). In 2010, the Budé edition of De indolentia emended this phrase to read διφθέρας π<τ>υκτάς ("folded parchments"). This note argues that the emendation is unnecessary because the Greek phrase πυκταὶ διφθέραι is a sensible calque for the Latin pugillares membranei , which Martial used to describe parchment codices decades before Galen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the materials constituting our cultural heritage, parchment has a significant role as the substrate of many archival documents. The assessment of its state of preservation has an important benefit to conservation and delineates the adequate preventive measures that would lead to better‐controlled storage and exhibition conditions in museums and libraries worldwide. In the framework of this project, artificial aging of 48 new goat parchment samples was performed to induce deterioration similar to naturally aged parchment exposed to atmospheric pollutants. Five factors have been examined: relative humidity; NO2; SO2; exposure time, and the order of sequential exposure to NO2 and SO2. Temperature was kept constant at 25°C, while the effect of the above‐mentioned factors was examined at two levels (low and high). Statistics was involved in advance in the experimental design. Raman spectroscopy along with attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy were used to investigate the condition of collagen in parchment. The entire set of environmental factors along with detected changes in the spectra were investigated through a chemometrics scheme involving analysis of variance (ANOVA). According to the results, the onset of collagen's secondary structure decomposition was observed. Statistical elaboration of data reveals that the two analytical methods (Raman and ATR‐FTIR) function in a complementary manner related to the molecular changes and the chemical reactions that happen. In conclusion, both methods can increase their impact on the investigation of parchment degradation if they are combined with other analytical methods and chemometric applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the investigation of a chrisov written on parchment, issued by Ștefan Lupu, the prince (voivode) of Moldavia (1659-1661), in 1660, from the collection of the National Museum of History of Romania (MNIR), in Bucharest. By using an analytical protocol based on corroboration of macroscopic and microscopic observations with the attenuated total reflection infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), information concerning parchment, inks and pigments were obtained. The Ștefan Lupu’ chrisov is written on high quality goat parchment, matte, smooth, velvety, and it presents only a few manufacturing defects. ATRFTIR analysis revealed a well-preserved structure of the collagen molecules, with a low level of hydrolytic decay. According to the XRF results, ferogallic and golden inks were used to write the Chrisov text whereas the ornaments were painted with vermilion pigment (for red color), verdigris pigment (for green color), Co-based pigment (for blue color) and fine gold powder. Both inks and pigments show a very good state of conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to reclaim and unlock heritage knowledge related to the secular value of time and labor from a sample Ethiopian ancient Ge'ez parchment manuscript. We claim that Ethiopia's ancient Ge'ez parchment manuscripts could be a source of heritage knowledge if systematically studied. We conducted an extensive and intensive survey to identify and select relevant ancient Ge'ez parchment manuscripts from ancient churches and monasteries in Tigray, Ethiopia. We selected one Ge'ez parchment manuscript for content analysis related to secular value time and another Ge'ez parchment manuscript for the secular value of labor and work ethics. Content analysis and interpretation including language translation from Ge'ez to Tigrinya and English was used as a method of heritage knowledge extraction, as were unlocking approaches from the selected sample Ge'ez parchment manuscripts. Digital content was also produced in order to have access to the digital content, which facilitates further content analysis. A critical evaluation of the physical condition of the sample manuscripts including their palaeography, folios, marginalia, and provenance was made in order to establish their relative age and credibility. From our content analysis, we extract and unlock valuable information and heritage knowledge domains related to the secular value of time and labor. The striking aspect in this study is that the sources of such heritage knowledge are the ancient Ge'ez manuscripts preserved for centuries in religious institutions like ancient churches and monasteries. These sources of heritage knowledge could be easily accepted by Christian farmers to address and solve their earthly problems. We, therefore, assert that the analysis of manuscripts democratizes access to knowledge, making historical collections accessible to a broader audience. Therefore, this current research paper extends the scope of previous studies from merely identifying preservation challenges and making ancient manuscripts accessible through digitization to conducting content analysis, unlocking relevant heritage knowledge domains, and disseminating the knowledge as well as preventing the loss of valuable heritage knowledge. Finally, we suggest making a paradigm shift from preserving heritage for its own sake to focusing on heritage knowledge transfer and education. This is mainly because we currently stand at a crossroads, facing a dilemma between valuing and utilizing heritage on one hand and ensuring its sustainable preservation on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilized coffee cherry residues, which is an abundantly available source of biomass in Indonesia. One of the methods to utilize coffee plantation residues effectively is wet torrefaction. This method is well-known as a hydrothermal method, where the biomass conversion process uses liquid as a medium and reactant in the process. The objective of this work was to develop an effective procedure for converting coffee agro-waste into marketable products using hydrothermal technology. The information related to changes in physical and thermal properties were explored in this work. To achieve the research objectives, three main steps were performed, i.e., feedstock preparation, wet torrefaction, and hydrochar characterization. Two types of feedstocks were studied in this work, coffee parchment and coffee pulp. In the wet torrefaction process, each feedstock was treated using two types of solutions, i.e., distilled water and acetic acid, at different concentrations. The reaction was carried out in an autoclave with a pressure of 2 bar (g) and an operating temperature of 130 °C for 2 hours. The properties of the hydrochar products were then analyzed using various methods, including bomb calorimetry, SEM, density, TGA-DTG, and hydrophobicity analyses. Overall, the results indicated that the hydrochar produced under acetic acid solution had better characteristics compared to that treated under distilled water. In terms of fixed carbon content and calorific value, the values increased up to 25.3% and 4,603 kcal/kg, respectively. Enhanced hydrophobicity was only observed in the coffee parchment hydrochar, where the average time required to adsorb water was 146.6 s, which can be categorized as strongly hydrophobic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two Latin sources from the years around 1300 (John of Sicily's commentary on the canons to the Toledan tables and a parchment slip documenting the astronomical activities and observations of Alard of Diest) contain brief references suggesting that Parisian scholars of this period had access to a set of astronomical tables for Tunis known as tabulae Benesac. According to the argument developed in this article, the tables in question probably corresponded to a Maghribī zīj originally created by Ibn Isḥāq al-Tūnisī in c. 1222. The article goes on to discuss the possible channels of transmission that could have brought these tables to Paris as well as the potential implications of this finding for the history of Latin astronomy in the late 13th and early 14th century. Attention is also drawn to the presence of eclipse-related material from the Muqtabas zīj by Ibn al-Kammād in a Northern French manuscript of the second half of the 13th century, which was independently translated from the Arabic and accordingly does not derive from the well-known translation by John of Dumpno (Palermo, 1260). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The word gullbóluskrá occurs only in 'Sverris saga'. It is used for a letter with a golden seal from the emperor in Constantinople. Its arrival would have been at the centre of a ceremony where the envoy called it a chrysobull , a gullbúlu-skrá. As 'Sverris saga' was written during the king's lifetime, one can be sure that gullbúlu - was used in the original version. The form gullbólu - may have resulted from a scribe misunderstanding the - búlu - part. The word skrá has various senses in nineteenth-century dictionaries, suggesting a development from 'dry skin' via 'parchment' to 'document'. The meaning 'dry skin' is given for only a single passage in 'Hávamál'. However, this interpretation is debatable. Krijnie Ciggaar suggests that skrá could be a loan from Greek sakra , denoting a document used in correspondence with other countries. The loss of the first vowel in sakra can be explained because the pattern sVkrV in Old Norse occurs only in a few Latin loanwords, while the pattern skrV is frequent. The unshortened form sacra for sakra is found in various stories of Western European origin. It seems that sakra reached Europe in two forms: shortened skrá in Scandinavia and as sacra in Western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the practice of hand colouring illustrated Luther Bibles in the sixteenth century. It is based on analysis from over 120 copies of various editions of Luther's translation of the Bible. The most well‐known examples are Hans Lufft's editions printed on parchment in 1541 and 1560, illuminated by Lucas Cranach the Younger. However, these copies represent only the very top of the market; the research presented in this article demonstrates that hand colouring was a widespread practice that began with the very first edition of Luther's New Testament in 1522, and continued throughout the sixteenth century and beyond, across the German‐speaking lands, in all formats, and for all levels of the market. This article argues that the hand colouring served an aesthetic purpose, making the complex illustrations more vivacious and legible for the viewer. The colouring also transformed a mass‐produced object into a unique work of art that reflected its spiritual significance, an understudied feature of Lutheran material culture, and one which transcended confessional divides in sixteenth‐century Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing biomolecular techniques in the study of written cultural heritage has led to a steady development of biocodicology and the study of DNA and proteins in parchment in the past years. In this context, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) has gained increasing attention as a powerful tool to study the ancient writing support. With a particular focus on the main components of parchment – different types of collagens – proteomic applications of the technique are highlighted. The review summarises advances in biocodicological studies focusing on manufacturing aspects and conservation treatments. Herein we further investigated proteomic studies on animal skin to prove the potential of MALDI-MS imaging (MALD-MSI) to broaden our knowledge and take studies on damage assessment and degradation of parchment to another level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay considers the material and visual cultural dynamics through which the modern state emerged during the Age of Revolutions in the Atlantic world. It centres upon the emergent rhetoric of the 'written constitution' in Revolutionary North America and the new United States, arguing that this mode of constitution-making represented not the invention that many claimed it to be, but instead a revision of the relationship between document, statecraft and the body in early modern British empire that built upon seventeenth-century English critics of monarchical power. The continuities between the material substrates of empire and nation came to be masked by a rhetoric of disavowal that posited the US constitutional form as both an innovation and a template for the material entanglements of the modern state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines parchment's transition from a dominant writing material to a perceived marker of antiquity in Western manuscript studies, exploring the consequences of this shift for the later production and preservation of parchment books. Focusing on the development of Icelandic manuscript culture during the seventeenth century, the role of antiquarianism and heightened interest in the writings of the past is considered. The rise of Nordic antiquarianism brought Icelandic scribes and patrons into contact with a scholarly culture driven by a desire for textual authenticity and a broad rediscovery of the history of ancient Scandinavia. Old Norse-Icelandic parchment codices were coveted by academics and collectors alike. At the same time, the seventeenth century saw the emergence of a new phenomenon: high-status parchment books that emulate the mediality of medieval book objects. Icelandic scribes had only recently transitioned to paper for manuscript production, and this paper argues that these younger manuscripts were not created as forgeries, even if there is some evidence for deliberate alteration post-production to make them appear older. Instead, calfskin's newfound status as a writing surface of and for the past encouraged creative engagement with vellum.Analysis reveals that many of the surviving vellum volumes are associated with elite circles in North and West Iceland, and the well-connected book production hub of Hólar in particular. A nostalgic revival of vellum may have occurred within learned circles in Iceland, parallel to the export of manuscripts to the mainland. Using the example of GKS 1002–1003, a pair of manuscripts commissioned by a wealthy farmer in South Iceland whose family had close kinship ties to the bishops of Hólar and Skálholt, it is argued that new vellum manuscripts had a legitimizing function for their owners, allowing those who commissioned them to claim membership in Iceland's literary and cultural elite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines a conflict over land on Las Islitas beach in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, between the owners of small beachfront eateries or enramadas and an Indigenous communal agrarian organization. We interpret this conflict as being not only a struggle over land but also as a struggle between the enactment of different tourismscapes and the corresponding ontological premises upon which these are based. To build our argument, we explore the historical production of tourismscapes in San Blas and the crucial part that a colonial parchment and littoral drift play in this. As we show, the conflict has created a public, that is, a confederation of dissimilar actors who are united by a shared experience of harm and who take important decisions and engage in politics. We conclude with some ideas as concerns the need to account for the ontological politics that emerge from tourism-related conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the provenance of The Birth of Hercules, an early modern English adaptation of Plautus' Amphitryon, found in a single manuscript at the British Library. The manuscript's history was traced back to a sale in 1871, shedding light on its mysterious origins. The manuscript's connection to Cambridge and its previous owner, Sir Edward Dering, a collector of drama, provide valuable insights into the play's history and potential academic origins. The discovery of Dering's ownership expands our knowledge of his dramatic library and offers clues to the play's origins. [Extracted from the article]

This paper discusses hitherto unidentified loose folios of a parchment liturgical and musical book held in the Archdiocesan Archive of Gniezno (Poland), containing the offertory and communion antiphons for the feasts De Trinitate and Corpus Christi. The author provides the codicological description of the leaves (analyzing Latin script, musical notation, ornamentation); identifies the time of their creation (15th century); indicates the type of the liturgical book to which they belong (graduale); seeks a melodic model for them and puts forward provenance hypotheses. He states that the melodics of the antiphons, although closest to the Cistercian tradition, are nevertheless variantly different from the melodic line preserved in foreign and Polish codices. It is possible to narrow down the dating of the leaves thanks to the type of Latin script, the calligraphic ornamentation of the initials and the spelling of certain letters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the Dead Sea Scrolls is an assemblage of ancient tefillin and mezuzah slips--ritual artifacts composed of thin animal skins inscribed with passages from the Pentateuch. This paper presents the results of light-microscopic and spectroscopic analyses conducted on 26 tefillin and 8 mezuzot from the Judean Desert caves. These analyses provide the first opportunity to identify the following characteristics on these artifacts: animal species; skin thickness; skin layers present; tannage; side/s of skin with writing. In time, these characteristics took on ritual significance, especially in later rabbinic halakhah. A significant finding is that the ancient tefillin analyzed here were all written on extraordinarily thin splits comprising the papillary-dermal layer, while all the mezuzot were written on the full dermis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A print of Siliceus's Arithmetica (Paris 1526), once preserved in the Landesbibliothek in Kassel, but now lost, contained a fragment of one parchment leaf until it was removed in 1904. The text, vaguely identified by Wiedemann (1994) as a "Vita Thomae Beket", is here more precisely identified as part of the "Life of St. Thomas of Canterbury" from an early South English Legendary. I describe fragment and text in detail, and the text is analysed with respect to dialect and to its position in the transmission history. A diplomatic edition of the text preserved in this fragment makes this early witness of an important Middle English legendary available for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Light transmission analysis of historical and modern commercial alum-tawed skin. • Assessing of the stability and durability of alum-tawed skin for use in restoration. • Hydrothermal stability of alum-tawed skin with respect to leather and parchment. • Durability and stability of alum-tawed skin after the artificial ageing process. • LTA as a tool for selecting the most suitable alum-tawed skin for restoration. Alum-tawed skin has been widely used in the past for the production of bookbindings elements because of its physical–mechanical properties and production process, easier and faster than that required for leather. Nevertheless, unlike for other skin-based materials employed in books production, such as parchment and leather, for alum-tawed skin the manufacturing process appears to be less standardized and rather few data are available in the literature on its durability and sensitivity to deterioration. In this work, a number of commercial samples of alum-tawed skin, from different manufactures and belonging to different animal species, were analysed by Light Transmission Analysis (LTA) to characterize their collagen hydrothermal stability, so as to gather useful information regarding their possible use for restoration works. The samples were then subjected to an artificial ageing process to assess their possible long term stability compared with that of some historical samples coming from 14th, 15th and 16th century bindings. The obtained results show that, as expected, the treatments the investigated alum-tawed skin samples undergo during the manufacture processes does not induce a level of stability of the collagen molecules higher than that of the vegetable and chrome tanning used for the leather treatment, although such treatment, in some cases, makes the alum-tawed skin slightly more stable than parchment. Moreover, accelerated ageing analysis showed that whatever the initial stability of the analysed samples, it decreases with ageing more rapidly and markedly than for parchment and leather, revealing a general lower durability of the alum-tawed skin to hydrothermal deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parchment, the skins of animals prepared for use as writing surfaces, offers a valuable source of genetic information. Many have clearly defined provenance, allowing for the genetic findings to be evaluated in temporal and spatial context. While these documents can yield evidence of the animal sources, the DNA contained within these aged skins is often damaged and fragmented. Previously, genetic studies targeting parchment have used destructive sampling techniques and so the development and validation of non-destructive sampling methods would expand opportunities and facilitate testing of more precious documents, especially those with historical significance. Here we present genetic data obtained by non-destructive sampling of eight parchments spanning the 15th century to the modern day. We define a workflow for enriching the mitochondrial genome (mtGenome), generating next-generation sequencing reads to permit species identification, and providing interpretation guidance. Using sample replication, comparisons to destructively sampled controls, and by establishing authentication criteria, we were able to confidently assign full/near full mtGenome sequences to 56.3% of non-destructively sampled parchments, each with greater than 90% of the mtGenome reference covered. Six of eight parchments passed all four established thresholds with at least one non-destructive sample, highlighting promise for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Stadtarchiv in Münster, Germany holds a medieval Hebrew fragment with portions of the daily Shema Yisrael prayer. Measuring 510 mm in height, this fragment is but a quarter of a large-sized parchment sheet, which was designed to be hung on a wall. This study introduces the fragment and describes its material features and then suggests its possible function against the backdrop of talmudic discussions on biblical texts that are incorporated in prayer. In light of the halakhic position that biblical verses should not be recited from memory but only from a written text, the original sheet was intended to provide worshippers with an accessible copy of the Shema text, since many did not have personal prayerbooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review essay discusses six books that explore the topics of media, materiality, and medieval culture. The books cover a range of disciplines and highlight the interdisciplinarity of the subject matter. The essay focuses on two pairs of books that examine the materiality and visual properties of medieval manuscripts, as well as the relationships between new media and medieval media. The review concludes by discussing the questions and urgencies raised by these books and the importance of understanding book production in the Middle Ages. The text also explores the concept of abstract art in the Middle Ages and its relationship to contemporary abstract art, as well as the role of abstraction in calligraphy and the use of visual materials to convey cognitive content. The text concludes with a discussion of the role of infrastructure in shaping literary history and the dissemination of knowledge. The books contribute to a broader discussion of media and its role in shaping our understanding of the past, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of specific contexts and materials. [Extracted from the article]

The article is a review of Kathryn M. Rudy's book, "Touching Parchment: How Medieval Users Rubbed, Handled, and Kissed Their Manuscripts." The book explores how medieval individuals, particularly officials and religious figures, interacted with manuscripts in ways that reinforced their authority. Rudy examines various forms of damage to manuscripts, such as wax deposits, ritualized kissing, and touching with wet or dry fingers, as well as the use of books for oaths and rituals. The review praises Rudy's analysis of the subject matter but criticizes some errors and the lack of an index of cited manuscripts. Overall, the book offers a new perspective on the materiality of medieval manuscripts and their significance in medieval culture. [Extracted from the article]

Bruce Holsinger's book, "On Parchment: Animals, Archives, and the Making of Culture from Herodotus to the Digital Age," explores the history and significance of parchment as a writing surface. The book covers a wide range of topics, including the physical qualities of parchment, its role in literature and theology, and its impact on animal populations and the environment. Holsinger's writing is informative, interpretive, and poetic, making connections across various disciplines and time periods. The book is accessible to both general readers and scholars and provides a valuable resource for studying parchment in medieval manuscript studies and beyond. [Extracted from the article]

This essay aims to provide a contribution to the global discourse of fragmentology. The authors envisage fragmentology as a discipline that includes research on various materials like clay, papyrus, parchment, and paper and from both European and non-European contexts. At the same time, the authors argue for the greater role of fragment philology as a constituent part of fragmentology. After presenting their definition of both a fragment as a concept and fragmentology as a discipline, the essay problematizes the role of textual philology in fragmentology. Authors then present the practical application of their propositions on the basis of an in-depth analysis of two case studies from the Italian State Archive, a bifolium from a Latin antiphonary and a group of strips from a Middle Dutch lectionary. [End Page 102] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hebrew Scroll, catalogued as Magliabekian Manuscript III 43 and belonging to the National Central Library of Florence (BNCF), is a membranous richly decorated scroll, with colorful depictions of sacred sites through the Holy Land to Lebanon along with handwritten texts in Hebrew and notes in Italian. Despite the fact that the manuscript was originally catalogued as an “object of no artistic or scientific value”, recent paleographic studies dated it to the XIV century and highlighted it as the oldest scroll still available, depicting holy places from Egypt to Lebanon. Nevertheless, precise dating, authorship, and the interpretation of its original function are still uncertain. A suite of complementary techniques was used, including photographic documentation in visible (VIS) light in diffuse light, grazing light, and transillumination, luminescence induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, imaging spectroscopy (IS), Macro Area X-ray Fluorescence (MA-XRF), and spot analyses such as fiber-optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) in the UV, VIS, and near-infrared (NIR) regions, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) in external reflectance mode (ER), and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The results of the non-invasive diagnostic campaign enabled the identification of several constituting materials (parchment, pigments, binder, and inks). The identified materials were consistent with the proposed dating and geographical manufacturing area of the artefact.

This article, titled "Hand," is a poem written by Reed Richards and published in the summer 2024 issue of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. The poem explores the symbolism and significance of the human hand, describing it as a vessel for communication, trust, and understanding. The author reflects on the intricate nature of the hand and its ability to convey both kindness and pain. The poem concludes with a contemplation on mortality and the potential for transcendence through the hands. The author, Reed Richards, is a poet and fiction writer who has previously published in Dialogue and resides in Murray, Utah. [Extracted from the article]

A careful analytical study of the paint materials used in medieval illuminated manuscripts and their respective formulations is critical to their preservation. Due to their high value and fragile nature, access to these objects is often limited. Therefore, the development of ad‐hoc methodologies allowing researchers to collect data in the least invasive way possible is an essential task in conservation science. This article shows the potential of a combined approach that complements handheld Raman spectroscopy with micro‐SORS for the characterization of medieval paints. This methodology was tested on a reference collection of mock‐up samples prepared as pure, mixture, and layered paints on parchment, based on historical information regarding paint formulations from Iberian scriptoria. Conventional Raman analysis, carried out by means of two handheld spectrometers, was found particularly effective for materials identification in pure paints and multi‐component formulations of increasing complexity. Complementing this data, micro‐SORS proved decisive in differentiating between mixture and layered paints in most mock‐ups examined, yielding detailed information about the stratigraphy of reference samples produced through the overlaying of different paints. This combined methodology may be helpful to researchers who would like to approach the vibrational characterization of paints applied onto fragile artifacts and supports in a totally non‐invasive manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2005, a team of Polish archaeologists discovered three Coptic codices, two on papyrus and one on parchment, in the rubbish dump of a hermitage at Sheik Abd el-Gurna, Egypt. While the parchment codex and the remains of the bindings of the papyrus ones have been conserved, the text blocks of the papyrus codices were opened and disassembled and after being disinfected remained untouched for nearly 15 years, until the current project started. Currently, all three books are stored in the collection of the Coptic Museum in Cairo. Our team undertook the conservation of and archaeometric research on the papyrus codices. The first of the books contains the Canons of Pseudo-Basil, while the second is an Encomium of St. Pisenthios. Both codices have been palaeographically dated to the seventh-eighth centuries CE. In this paper, we describe our project and present the results of the work carried out on the Canons of Pseudo-Basil. Our work involved photography in transmitted light, measurements of the thickness of the papyrus leaves, and digital microscopy under three-light illumination. These measurements allowed us to determine the types of the inks and characterize the papyrus writing substrate. For conservation, we used a novel method developed in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin that comprises suspending papyrus folios on a translucent, extremely thin Japanese paper inside glass frames without the use of adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic industrial materials are exposed to fungal deterioration; to prevent this, several additives can be used. In the present work, Egyptian cotton linters, linen textile, and parchment (goat skin) provided from industrial zones in Egypt were used. The application of eco-friendly essential oils (EOs) isolated from Pinus rigida wood and Origanum majorana green leaves to cotton linter paper pulp (CLP), linen textile, and parchment as bio-fungicides to protect against the growth of Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger was evaluated using the fungal growth inhibition (FGI) assay and examined under SEM to show the extent of fungal infestation. By gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis, the abundant compounds in P. rigida EO were determined to be 2-methylisoborneol (29.52%), and 4-isopropyl-5-methylhex-2-yne-1,4-diol (16.53%); in O. majorana EO, they were determined to be cis-β-terpineol (15.4%), terpinen-4-ol (14.39%), oleic acid (10.75%), and D-limonene (8.49%). CLP treated at a level of 500 μL/L with O. majorana EO showed a higher FGI against A. niger (47.66%), while P. rigida EO showed a higher FGI against A. flavus (74%) and A. terreus (100%). Parchment treated with 500 μL/L of O. majorana EO showed an FGI of 49% against the growth of A. niger, while P. rigida EO treated at a level of 500 μL/L showed FGIs of 78% and 100% against A. flavus and A. terreus, respectively. Linen textile treated with O. majorana EO at a level of 500 μL/L showed a higher FGI (49%) against A. niger, while P. rigida EO showed a higher activity against A. flavus (FGI 77.3%) and A. terreus (FGI 100%). The examined SEM images of materials treated with the EOs confirmed how these EOs suppressed or prevented the growth of molds compared with the control treatments. The findings indicate that the EOs from P. rigida and O. majorana considerably enhanced the performance of CLP, linen textile, and parchment materials; therefore, they can be recommended as promising antifungal agents with which to extend the shelf-life of these materials. This study shows the high effectiveness of the addition of natural oils that contain bioactive compounds to natural raw materials (CLP, linen textile, and parchment) in protecting against the growth of fungi. Subsequently, it is possible to protect these raw materials from deterioration and damage and prolong their lives as long as possible while maintaining the natural and mechanical specifications of the raw materials, especially in atmospheric conditions with a high humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psalm 35 is one of the most popular, widely read and used Psalm among the African indigenous churches (Yoruba) in Nigeria. This article investigates why and how Psalm 35 vv. 1-3 is used as a plea for vengeance among the Yoruba Christians in African indigenous churches in Nigeria. The article explores how the plea for vengeance is understood and expressed in the African traditional context. African biblical hermeneutics with the view of providing a useful lens to reread biblical text in African context was adopted for the study. It was discovered that as early as the 3rd-century Christian era, the book of Psalms was used in the liturgy of the church. The notion of vengeance as found in Psalm 35 vv. 1-3 is a recurrent theme in African indigenous churches in Nigeria. This Psalm is used among the Yoruba Christians in African indigenous churches as a plea for divine intervention against their enemies. Through a synthesis of biblical and traditional African sources, this article demonstrates how the plea for vengeance is expressed in the cultural practices and beliefs of African indigenous churches. The plea for vengeance in this Psalm is a reflection of African indigenous churches' understanding of key social issues such as justice, relationships between individuals and groups, and the need to maintain social integrity. Psalm 35 is usually read, sung, memorised, inscribed on parchment, and chanted by African christians and non-christians as expression of faith in God to intervene in the issues confronting them as he did for the Psalmist. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The Yoruba Christian readers of Psalm 35vv. 1-3 appeal to God for intervention against their enemies. The article emphasises that Christians should not take laws into their hands but trust in God for justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Hebrew Scroll, catalogued as Magliabekian Manuscript III 43 and belonging to the National Central Library of Florence (BNCF), is a membranous richly decorated scroll, with colorful depictions of sacred sites through the Holy Land to Lebanon along with handwritten texts in Hebrew and notes in Italian. Despite the fact that the manuscript was originally catalogued as an "object of no artistic or scientific value", recent paleographic studies dated it to the XIV century and highlighted it as the oldest scroll still available, depicting holy places from Egypt to Lebanon. Nevertheless, precise dating, authorship, and the interpretation of its original function are still uncertain. A suite of complementary techniques was used, including photographic documentation in visible (VIS) light in diffuse light, grazing light, and transillumination, luminescence induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, imaging spectroscopy (IS), Macro Area X-ray Fluorescence (MA-XRF), and spot analyses such as fiber-optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) in the UV, VIS, and near-infrared (NIR) regions, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) in external reflectance mode (ER), and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The results of the non-invasive diagnostic campaign enabled the identification of several constituting materials (parchment, pigments, binder, and inks). The identified materials were consistent with the proposed dating and geographical manufacturing area of the artefact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No Gothic design drawings on paper or parchment have survived from the 12th century, and only a few have survived from the 13th century. For this reason, most recent scholars tend to concur at least broadly with Robert Branner, who argued in an influential 1963 article that such drawings were first produced only after 1200. This conclusion deserves critical re-examination, however, for two principal reasons. First, the continuity of the Gothic architectural tradition in both time and space strongly suggests that early Gothic builders used similar techniques to those used by their late Gothic successors. From this perspective, the lack of surviving design drawings from before 1200 seems likely to reflect their disappearance over time, rather than their not being used in the crucial period when the conventions of Gothic design and construction were first coming into focus. A second argument for the use of drawings in the 12th century comes from consideration of early Gothic buildings, whose complex and carefully calibrated forms would be literally inconceivable without such graphic aids. Churches such as Saint-Denis Abbey and Notre-Dame in Paris, for example, already display a level of geometrical sophistication and coherence that argues strongly for the use of scaled drawings in their original conception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to explore the diachrony of orality and literacy in the Old East Slavic birch-bark corpus. One of the most striking characteristics of the birch-bark documents is their high degree of orality. Due to their rootedness in the communication situation, they possess many linguistic and pragmatic features that are typical for spoken discourse. In addition, they show clear signs of literacy, i.e., properties that are common for the written word in general as well as features that typically occur in Church Slavic documents, the model corpus for literacy in Old Rus'. Considering the long period that is covered by birch bark literacy we may assume that the relation between orality and literacy features changed over time. To uncover these changes, the author analyzes the diachronic development of selected lexical, morphological, and syntactic features that characterize different registers and thus serve as markers of literacy or orality. The results support the thesis that Church Slavic bookishness, the initial model for literacy, was replaced by another model, namely non-bookish, official writing on parchment. Over time, the birch bark documents lost the features of literacy that were the immediate impact of Church Slavic writing, and adapted writing practices that were typical for non-bookish parchment documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose microfibrils were isolated from coffee parchment through acid hydrolysis, alkaline hydrolysis, and bleaching. Factorial design experiments allowed studying the influence of the chemical precursor concentrations and reaction times on the mass losses. TGA, SEM, XRD, and FT-IR techniques allowed for characterizing the coffee parchment hydrolyzed and bleached. Obtained results suggest that acid hydrolysis breaks down the lignocellulosic compounds from the coffee parchment, and alkaline hydrolysis allows the solubilization of lignin and hemicellulose. Lignocellulosic compound dissolution produces a reduction/disappearance of some vibrational bands. This dissolution enhances the crystalline index and decreases the microfibril's diameter. However, in coffee parchment, the microfibrils are twisted, giving the appearance of fibers with a minor diameter. The design of the experiment results suggests that the main factors during acid and alkaline hydrolysis are the concentration of the chemical precursors. In the bleaching process, a variation in the factors does not significantly influence the response variable. However, for brightness, the precursor concentration affects the cellulose quality. The optimal conditions for cellulose extraction from coffee parchment are 5% (v/v) of HNO3 by 2 h, 3% (m/v) NaOH by 60 min, and a 1:1 mass of NaClO:CH3COOH by 45 min for bleaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

4Q69 consists of two small papyrus fragments treating to Isa 5:28–30. Following Raffaella Cribiore's criterion for identification of scribal exercises, an analysis of the textual variants to which the 4Q69 fragments attest will serve as a platform for exploring why the scribe(s) chose papyrus instead of parchment as his medium, the implications of the scroll's column width, and the significance of its semi-cursive script and calligraphic traits. Engaging in a holistic assessment of the scroll's purpose and use, this paper submits that rather than constituting a complete copy of the biblical book of Isaiah, it is a partial copy for use as a scribal exercise of a mid-level student. It thus sheds light on the educational process underlying the production of 4Q69 as the importance attached to the book of Isaiah during the Second Temple period and the book's distinctive, authoritative status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether or not Ross's theory that P.Euphrates 18 was drafted in a distinctly different political climate than were P.Euphrates 19 and P.Dura 28 is ultimately correct, it does seem entirely too coincidental to suggest that the production of the three Syriac documentary parchments was not somehow informed by the political situation in Edessa during the Abgarid restoration from 238 to 242 ce, since this corresponds almost exactly with the production of all three Syriac documentary parchments. These are: P.Euphrates 1 (28 August 245 ce) P.Euphrates 3-4 (252-256 ce) P.Euphrates 10 (26 May 250 ce) P.Euphrates 16 (239-241 ce) P.Euphrates 18 (18 December 240 ce), and P.Euphrates 19 (1 September 242 ce). There are only three extant documentary texts from antiquity that were written entirely in Syriac.[2] These are P.Euphrates 18 (240 ce), P.Euphrates 19 (242 ce), and P.Dura 28 (243 ce). Although this must have been outlined in the original I s ara i drafted prior to the drafting of P.Euphrates 18, we only know about the terms of the loan as they are recounted in P.Euphrates 18. 35 P.Euphrates 18.22-25. 36 P.Euphrates 18.27-28. 37 P.Euphrates 18.29-30. 38 P.Euphrates 18.2.1-5v. [Extracted from the article]

Tunnel solar dryer is the recently used drying method for better quality and safety of parchment coffee. However, the higher variation of drying temperature and RH along the long tunnel solar dryer results in a heterogeneous environment in the tunnel, which could make parchment coffee dried at different times or with different moisture contents. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of solar tunnel dryer zones at different zones of the dryer, divided into three zones from the inlet to the exit side of the drier and drying layer thicknesses on the drying time, drying kinetics, physicochemical, sensory, and fungal growth loads of parchment coffee. Furthermore, seven mathematical models were evaluated to select the best-fitting model for a specific zone to predict drying time. Results showed that dryer zones significantly (p < 0.05) interacted with layer thickness for most of the measured parameters except titratable acidity and sensory properties. The dryer zone, coupled with the reduction in drying layer thickness, caused an increase in effective diffusivity and moisture removal rate and reduced drying time. The drying time to reach constant moisture content varied from 14 to 17 hours. Overall raw bean, cup, and total quality varied from 36.3 to 37, 48 to 51, and 84.3 to 87.3%, respectively. Values for physicochemical parameters ranged from 5.3 to 6.9 (pH), 2.1 to 2.6% (titratable acidity), 2.3 to 4.3°Brix TSS, 10.9 to 15.2% (ether extract), 39.2 to 53.5GAE/g (total phenolic content), and 38.5 to 59.2 (DPPH scavenging capacity). The fungal infection percentage at the end of drying varied from 4 to 93.3%, which could be associated with potential mycotoxin formation if recommended conditions were not maintained. In general, for better quality, similar drying times, and a lesser fungal load, it is recommended to use 4, 5, and 6 cm layer thickness in zones one, two, and three, respectively. The drying kinetics of parchment coffee in different dryer zones with different drying layer thicknesses showed variation. Zone one at 2 and 4 cm layer thicknesses is best described by the Verma model. Four- and six-centimetre layer thicknesses in zones 2 and 3 are best described by the modified Midilli model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We do not possess, nor are we ever likely to possess, any autograph of a Greek or Latin literary text from antiquity. We do not always apprise our students of this fact. This article seeks to explain why we possess only copies of the texts, often adapted for one reason or another and at many stages removed from the autographs. It also explains why certain kinds of originals cannot by their nature be copied or adapted, and are lost to us as soon as they are created. Non-literary texts too, written on durable materials other than papyri and parchment, do not, for various reasons, always constitute autographs, or autographs that we and our students can have ready access to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without provenance or place of production, isolated manuscripts and orphaned leaves dot library and museum collections around the world. The College of Wooster houses an exquisite and complete book of hours of Sarum use about which almost nothing is known. Using formal analysis and the most limited of documentary sources, this essay proposes London, ca. 1430–1450, as the place of production for this little illuminated codex. Firmly linking this horae to known and researched prayer books such as the British Library's Burney MS 334, Harley MS 210, and especially the Harley MS 2887—also known as the Hours of the Earls of Ormond—this article provides an inlet to existing historiography on the codex's milieu of production. Moreover, this analysis supports the probability that this book survived the notorious fire in Sir Robert Cotton's library at Ashburnham House, with telltale signs of water and smoke damage apparent on the parchment pages. A previously overlooked and unresearched horae , the Wooster Hours now has a provenance and historiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the effect of X-ray irradiation as a disinfection treatment in original ancient parchment samples, belonging to a discarded book cover of a 16th-century archival register, has been evaluated. Specifically, the bacterial and fungal species isolated from the book cover have been characterized and then irradiated with increasing doses of X-rays with the aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the antimicrobial protocol on the isolated microorganisms. The deterioration effects induced by the X-ray treatment as well as the natural aging on the collagen matrix of the parchment sample have been tested by employing several techniques, namely, Light Transmission Analysis, Fiber Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy, Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy, UV Resonant Raman spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy. The results reveal that the irradiation treatment applied to our ancient parchment samples deteriorated by biological attack and other naturally occurring phenomena, possibly associated with inappropriate conservation conditions, does not seem to induce further damage factors even when large doses of irradiation are employed. The X-rays-based disinfection treatment effects are limited on the collagen support and this confirms the potential of this method in mass disinfection of library and archival materials.

The Alcobacenses are one of the most important Portuguese collections of Monastic codices. During a campaign study to further advance our knowledge on this important legacy and its state of conservation, a heavily deteriorated codex (ALC.338) stood out due to the presence of purple stains on the lower margins on virtually all folios. In some of them, the purple stains are accompanied by yellow and brown patches as well. Also noticed was the presence of these purple spots on the white tawed leather covering the codex. The codex was analyzed macro and microscopically, chemically and biologically using state-of-the-art technology such as next-generation sequencing. The biological deterioration associated with the appearance of these purple spots arises from the inside out and reveals significant abundance of the bacterial genus Saccharopolyspora sp., which accounted for 86% of the bacterial genera identified. For the fungal population, the most common genus was Malassezia sp. Visual inspection of the sample confirmed the presence of fungal and bacterial biofilms. Pressing questions, comparison to similar studies and future perspectives are also given.

This work explores the potential of analyzing individual objects to improve their preventive conservation. Previously, environmental recommendations have been based on an average or worst response of material groups. Cultural heritage objects are extremely variable and within a group such as archaeological iron a very wide range of responses are shown. Characterizing a single object’s response allows its environment to be tailored to its requirements and can enable significant resource and carbon footprint savings. Three main approaches are considered with a material explored in detail including preventive conservation ramifications. Composition analysis is investigated through the stability of limestones. The critical concentrations of soluble salts causing surface deterioration in one environment has been explored. A more rapid method of analyzing clays in acid insoluble fractions from drillings and undertaking that analysis non-invasively has been developed. Measuring deterioration rates is explored through oxygen consumption analyses of archaeological iron. The distributions of previously published data are explored and the changes in rates examined. A scheme for parchment based on shrinkage temperatures and observations is presented for the first time and its use illustrated with a newly acquired letter. The type of work required to produce these schemes is explored with leather.

Coffee parchment is one of the residues generated in coffee processing and has been poorly explored for value-added applications. It has been reported that coffee parchment has a high cellulose content (40–49%). Cellulose has been studied in many fields and specifically regenerated cellulose has been explored for many applications. Then, in this work a simple method for obtaining regenerated cellulose nanoparticles (RCNPs) from delignified coffee parchment, was determined. A complete physicochemical characterization of RCNPs obtained is presented, FTIR showed high cellulose purity, and XRD analysis showed high crystallinity of cellulose II. TEM images revealed that nanoparticles have spherical morphology. TGA showed good thermal stability and DLS allowed to determine the stability of suspension and the Z-average of the particles. The application of RCNPs on film formation was also evaluated when blended with PVA and Glycerol showing good mechanical properties with potential application on food packing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermented polymers like biobased poly(butylene succinate) (BioPBS) have become more relevant as technical substitutes for ductile petrochemical-based polymers but require biogenic functional additives to deaccelerate undesired thermo-oxidative degradation and keep a fully biobased character. In this paper, the influence of coffee parchment (PMT) from two different varieties and processings on the thermo-oxidative stabilization and mechanical properties of poly(butylene succinate) composites up to 20 wt.-% PMT were investigated. Micronized with a TurboRotor mill, both PMT powders differ in particle size and shape, moisture ab- and adsorption behavior and antioxidative properties. It could be shown that pulped-natural PMT consists partially of coffee cherry residues, which leads to a higher total polyphenol content and water activity. The homogeneous PMT from fully washed processing has a higher thermal degradation resistance but consists of fibers with larger diameters. Compounded with the BioPBS and subsequent injection molded, the fully washed PMT leads to higher stiffness and equal tensile strength but lower toughness compared to the pulped-natural PMT, especially at lower deformation speed. Surprisingly, the fully washed PMT showed a higher stability against thermo-oxidative decomposition despite the lower values in the total phenol content and antioxidative activity. The required antioxidative stabilizers might be extracted at higher temperatures from the PMT fibers, making it a suitable biogenic stabilizer for extrusion processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the moment of production, artworks are constantly exposed to changing environmental factors potentially inducing degradation. Therefore, detailed knowledge of natural degradation phenomena is essential for proper damage assessment and preservation. With special focus on written cultural heritage, we present a study on the degradation of sheep parchment employing accelerated aging with light (295–3000 nm) for one month, 30/50/80% relative humidity (RH) and 50 ppm sulfur dioxide with 30/50/80%RH for one week. UV/VIS spectroscopy detected changes in the sample surface appearance, showing browning after light-aging and increased brightness after SO2-aging. Band deconvolution of ATR/FTIR and Raman spectra and factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) revealed characteristic changes of the main parchment components. Spectral features for degradation-induced structural changes of collagen and lipids turned out to be different for the employed aging parameters. All aging conditions induced denaturation (of different degrees) indicated by changes in the secondary structure of collagen. Light treatment resulted in the most pronounced changes for collagen fibrils in addition to backbone cleavage and side chain oxidations. Additional increased disorder for lipids was observed. Despite shorter exposure times, SO2-aging led to a weakening of protein structures induced by transitions of stabilizing disulfide bonds and side chain oxidations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]