Scientific methods for philological scholarship: Pigment and paper analyses in the field of manuscriptology

Durkin-Meisterernst, Desmond; Friedrich, Michael; Hahn, Oliver; Helman-Ważny, Agnieszka; Nöller, Renate; Raschmann, Simone-Christiane

doi:10.1016/j.culher.2015.06.004

Cited by 15 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Nonwood fibers serve as a source of low environmental impact pulp that is quicker to bring to market than wood-based pulps. Historically, documents of interest to archeologists and historians are often produced on papers manufactured from nonwood fibers [17]. In the modern era, cotton is the most common nonwood fiber used in papermaking for secure and nonsecure high-value printing papers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dielectric spectroscopic studies of biological material evolution and application to paper, TAPPI JOURNAL September 2018

Kombolias

Obrzut

Montgomery³

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Current product composition and quality test methods for the paper and pulp industry are mainly based on manual ex-situ wet-bench chemistry techniques. For example, the standard method for determining the furnish of paper, TAPPI T 401 “Fiber analysis of paper and paperboard,” relies on the experience and visual acuity of a specially trained analyst to determine the individual plant species present and to quantify the amount of each constituent fiber type in a sheet of paper. Thus, there is a need for a fast, nondestructive analytical technique that leverages intrinsic attributes of the analytes. In this paper, we demonstrate an application of dielectric spectroscopy (DS) as a potential metrology to differentiate between nonwood pulp and wood pulp fibers. This in-situ, noncontact and nondestructive assessment method has inherent forensic capabilities and is also amiable to quality assurance techniques such as gauge capability studies and real-time statistical process control (SPC). Application: The dielectric spectroscopy results presented in this paper can nondestructively determine the amount of lignin in paper products and are in principle comparable to the performance specifications of the TAPPI Standard Test Method T 401 and should enable the sources of printing substrates to be both authenticated and validated in real time in a paper testing laboratory environment.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dielectric spectroscopic studies of biological material evolution and application to paper, TAPPI JOURNAL September 2018

Kombolias

Obrzut

Montgomery³

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We applied non-destructive spectroscopic methods established for the analysis of manuscripts (Durkin-Meisterernst et al 2016). Comparable approaches were used by Domenici 2019aDomenici , 2019bGrazia et al 2019, Gulmini et al 2013Miliani et al 2012;Zetina et al 2011. The VIS spectral photometer (Gretag SPM 100 Imaging AG company, Regensdorf, Switzerland) enables us to determine dyes by their characteristic reflectance curves in the range of 380-730 nm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Material analysis of Aztec codices in Berlin

Noeller

Danielewski

Giel

et al. 2019

STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The collection Manuscripta Americana in Berlin consists of fragmented codices acquired by Alexander von Humboldt in Mexico. Some of these Humboldt Codices are published as hieroglyphic writings of the Aztecs in "Vues des Cordilleres et Monuments des Peuples indigènes de l'Amerique". Starting from a special compilation of seven fragments on plate 36 in the "Atlas", we investigated the corresponding original fragments using material analysis in order to clarify their historical relations. The analyses were carried out with X-ray fluorescence analysis, VIS spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy in diffuse reflection and revealed typical indigenous colors like cochineal, indigo, and organic yellows (e.g. mangrove and zacatlaxcalli). Four fragments under investigation show exactly the same material and thus must once have belonged together in one compendium. An additional manuscript from Mizquiahuala also shown on plate 36 can be matched to another one that is not published in the "Atlas".

show abstract

“…In particular, the presence of copper in carbon ink was attributed either to a contamination of the source of carbon, or to the results of experimentations leading to the manufacture of new inks. The adoption of a multi-disciplinary approach for the study of written artefacts, complementing palaeographic and philological studies with the investigation of the materials using non-destructive and non-invasive techniques from the natural sciences, provides a wealth of information and answers that cannot be obtained from one perspective alone [13], [14]. For the study of the Qurʾānic fragments on papyrus, preserved at the Staats-und Universitätsbibliothek, Hamburg, we have adopted this approach, with an attempt to answer questions on the nature of ink used for writing these manuscripts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leafing through time: Ink Analysis of the longest Qur’ān on Papyrus

Sathiyamani,

Tillier,

Vanthieghem

et al. 2023

Proceedings of the 2022 IMEKO TC4 International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The fragments preserved at the Staats-und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg, under the shelfmark P. Hamb. Arab. 68 are, to date, the longest and oldest excerpt of extant Qurʾān on papyrus. The fragments contain the Sura 2 in its entirety, written over seven bifolia originally sewed in a single quire. The writing incorporates the use of diacritical dots as well as markers indicating the ends of verses and text. Three of the seven folios were analysed to determine the inks used in writing the texts, the dots and the markers. The results indicate that the text was written with a carbon-based ink characterised by the presence of trace amounts of copper, possibly due to impurities in the water or the use of a copper or bronze inkwell. The diacritical dots completing the text were penned using the same ink while a different carbon ink, without copper, was used for the decorative elements of the text.

show abstract

Scientific methods for philological scholarship: Pigment and paper analyses in the field of manuscriptology

Cited by 15 publications

References 4 publications

Dielectric spectroscopic studies of biological material evolution and application to paper, TAPPI JOURNAL September 2018

Dielectric spectroscopic studies of biological material evolution and application to paper, TAPPI JOURNAL September 2018

Material analysis of Aztec codices in Berlin

Leafing through time: Ink Analysis of the longest Qur’ān on Papyrus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About