Greatly make medieval Bible books

A simple PVC eraser has mysteriously decoded the silk-like parchment used to make the first medieval pocket Bible books.

Techniques of making medieval books

According to Acient Origins, thousands of Bibles were created in the 13th century, mainly in France, England, Italy and Spain. The origin of the parchment for these books has long been a controversial topic.

The book "Book of Hours" is made from animal skins in Florence, Italy, in the 15th century. (Photo: Rauner Special Collections Library).

Some of the literature uses the word "latin abortivum" - "premature birth," making some scholars think that paper is made from the skin of premature animals . Others disagree for reasons, if this hypothesis is correct, then it cannot maintain the source of cattle. Older scholars argue that the ancients used alternative animals such as rabbits or squirrels. Meanwhile, some documents from the Middle Ages said that the old people used their hands to separate their skin and use technology now no more.

The team, headed by Dr. Sarah Fiddyment and Professor Matthew Collins from the Department of Archaeological BioArCh Research Center at York University, UK, uses a simple approach to tracing the origin of parchment.

They separate the protein from the surface of the parchment by using static charges generated when rubbing the PVC thermoplastic eraser onto the surface.

Technique of separating protein from the surface of parchment.(Photo: Matthew Collins).

This method is non-invasive and does not require any special equipment. It allows researchers to sample whenever and wherever, without having to move objects, and analyze them when needed.

"We found no evidence to show the use of unexpected animals; however, we found in a book that used a variety of animals, corresponding to skin types. available locally, " said Fiddyment.

"Research results show that the skin used for books is not necessarily taken from premature or newly born animals with very thin skin. That may be the result of a production cycle that allows the creation of parchment. with the same quality from the skin of adult animals in some species ".

Stretch the skin on a wooden frame to make parchment.(Photo: Public Domain).

"This discovery helps us understand how the ancient people made the Bible (pocket) in large numbers, and discovered one of the books-making technologies in the history of the Bible and Western Christianity , " Alexander Devine, The Schoenberg Institute of Manuscript Studies at the University of Pennsylvania said.

At the end of the study, the conservationist Jií Vnouček applied the knowledge gained to reproduce this paper.

"The correct use of parchment technology is more interesting than the use of skin from newborn or premature animals. Using these animals' skin to make parchment is best; however, I think every kind of skin can be used , " he said.

The research team is composed of scientists and scholars from many different fields from France, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the United States and the United Kingdom. They analyzed 72 pocket Bibles and 293 other parchment samples dating from the 13th century. These samples are classified in thicknesses from 0.03 to 0.28 mm. The results of the study were published in PNAS on November 15.