Steven Avery
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palimpsest comparisons - theory of washing and scraping - reagents - Syriac Sinaiticus (Syriacus) - Archimedes
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Steven Avery
Administrator
A very interesting note about the Archimedes Palimpsest, worthy of more research:
Search out more from David Landau:
Palimpsests: The Art of Medieval Recycling
Peter Toth
https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2016/09/palimpsests-the-art-of-medieval-recycling.html
David Landau comment:
“Observing several images of the Archimedes palimpsests, I suggest that no cleaning was exercised there. The pages were turned 90 percent and a new text was written over the old one. Browsing through photos of various so-called palimpsests, I haven’t found any which, in my opinion, follow the present definition, that is "again scraped."
Search out more from David Landau:
Palimpsests: The Art of Medieval Recycling
Peter Toth
https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2016/09/palimpsests-the-art-of-medieval-recycling.html
David Landau comment:
“Observing several images of the Archimedes palimpsests, I suggest that no cleaning was exercised there. The pages were turned 90 percent and a new text was written over the old one. Browsing through photos of various so-called palimpsests, I haven’t found any which, in my opinion, follow the present definition, that is "again scraped."
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Steven Avery
Administrator
Full David Landau comment
A Need for a New Definition for the Term ‘Palimpsests’
By present definition a palimpsest fulfills two requirements: the first is that the old text was scraped or washed off (palímpsēstos, "again scraped") and the second one is that a new text was written on the blank page. Obviously, overwriting factor is always true, otherwise we would be dealing with a usual manuscript. I suggest that, as a rule of thumb, in case of parchment volumes or papyrus sheets the first requirement is hardly ever valid.
I’ve studied 7 pages of Gothic palimpsests and among them five were certainly washed and scraped in antiquity.(1) These parchments are visibly mutilated, with holes and burnt area.
Examining Latin so-called palimpsests (2) I’ve concluded that the new text was simply written over the old one. Sometimes the page was just turned around and the new text was written in the opposite direction. No washing or scrapping was conducted.
Observing several images of the Archimedes palimpsests, I suggest that no cleaning was exercised there. The pages were turned 90 percent and a new text was written over the old one. Browsing through photos of various so-called palimpsests, I haven’t found any which, in my opinion, follow the present definition, that is "again scraped."
In fact, not erasing those manuscripts with all kind of chemicals make perfectly sense, as such treatment causes great damage to the delicate material. Even nowadays I suggest that in most cases one can read quite easily the overwritten text, especially when one examines the original manuscripts, e.g. the extensive readings of Monsignor (Later Cardinal) Angelo Mai (1782 - 1854).
I suggest that the Gothic manuscripts were so viciously washed and scrapped because the people who reused those parchments wanted to erase any traces of the Goths, whom they apparently hated so much.
1. https://www.modeemi.fi/~david/palimpsests/studying_the_palimpsests.pdf
2. https://www.modeemi.fi/~david/palimpsests/Latin_palimpsests.pdf
Posted by: David Landau | 07 September 2017 at 11:34 AM
A Need for a New Definition for the Term ‘Palimpsests’
By present definition a palimpsest fulfills two requirements: the first is that the old text was scraped or washed off (palímpsēstos, "again scraped") and the second one is that a new text was written on the blank page. Obviously, overwriting factor is always true, otherwise we would be dealing with a usual manuscript. I suggest that, as a rule of thumb, in case of parchment volumes or papyrus sheets the first requirement is hardly ever valid.
I’ve studied 7 pages of Gothic palimpsests and among them five were certainly washed and scraped in antiquity.(1) These parchments are visibly mutilated, with holes and burnt area.
Examining Latin so-called palimpsests (2) I’ve concluded that the new text was simply written over the old one. Sometimes the page was just turned around and the new text was written in the opposite direction. No washing or scrapping was conducted.
Observing several images of the Archimedes palimpsests, I suggest that no cleaning was exercised there. The pages were turned 90 percent and a new text was written over the old one. Browsing through photos of various so-called palimpsests, I haven’t found any which, in my opinion, follow the present definition, that is "again scraped."
In fact, not erasing those manuscripts with all kind of chemicals make perfectly sense, as such treatment causes great damage to the delicate material. Even nowadays I suggest that in most cases one can read quite easily the overwritten text, especially when one examines the original manuscripts, e.g. the extensive readings of Monsignor (Later Cardinal) Angelo Mai (1782 - 1854).
I suggest that the Gothic manuscripts were so viciously washed and scrapped because the people who reused those parchments wanted to erase any traces of the Goths, whom they apparently hated so much.
1. https://www.modeemi.fi/~david/palimpsests/studying_the_palimpsests.pdf
2. https://www.modeemi.fi/~david/palimpsests/Latin_palimpsests.pdf
Posted by: David Landau | 07 September 2017 at 11:34 AM