#Old_Manuscripts
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gutenberg.org
We read an entire scroll — without ever opening it

PHerc. 1667, sealed since the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, has been virtually unwrapped and read from beginning to end

scrollprize.org/firstscroll

The Herculaneum Papyrus Scrolls project
www2.cs.uky.edu/dri/herculan...

#books #old_Manuscripts
Part of Herculaneum Papyrus 1005 (P.Herc. 1005), col. 5. Contains Epicurean tetrapharmakos from Philodemus' Adversus sapientes ex libris. Original from 1st century(?). Handwritten copy by Giuseppe (?) Casanova 1803-1806. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculaneum_papyri#/media/File:Tetrapharmakos_PHerc_1005_col_5.png
June 27, 2026 at 9:21 AM
gutenberg.org
31 Medieval Manuscripts from the Czech National Library Now Available Online

www.medievalists.net/2026/08/medi...

Medieval manuscripts at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #literature #old_Manuscripts
FROM SCHOEFFER’S CANON OF THE MASS. Title: Early Printed Books Author: E. Gordon Duff The page shows Latin liturgical text rendered in a gothic typeface with an ornate decorated initial letter.
August 28, 2026 at 9:22 AM
gutenberg.org
Manuscript fragments hiding in plain sight shed light on medieval Guernsey’s literary life

by Dalya Alberge

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Books about Medieval Manuscripts at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #literature #old_Manuscripts #heritage
Title: Illuminated Manuscripts Author: John W. Bradley A leaf from a medieval illuminated manuscript featuring two columns of dense Latin Gothic script framed by a decorative vine-and-leaf border with small illuminated initial letters throughout.
August 24, 2026 at 8:12 AM
gutenberg.org
Tutivillus Is Watching You

For medieval scribes, mistakes couldn’t be easily shrugged off, as Tutivillus, the stickler demon, was always looking over their shoulders.

By: Amelia Soth

daily.jstor.org/tutivillus-i...

At PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #old_manuscripts
Representation of Titivillus (14th century). The scene shows a scribe seated at a wooden desk, diligently copying a manuscript with a quill pen. He leans over an open book filled with red and black text. Behind him, Titivillus appears as a small, dark, winged creature with a mischievous face, hairy body, and clawed hands. The demon watches him intently. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Titivillus.jpg
November 13, 2025 at 10:49 AM
gutenberg.org
Break out the calculators: November 23 is Fibonacci Sequence Day

The cornerstone of modern math wouldn’t be possible without the Hindu-Arabic numerical system.

by Andrew Paul

www.popsci.com/science/fibo...

Fibonacci at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc...

#books #mathematics #old_manuscripts
A page of Fibonacci's Liber Abaci from the Biblioteca Nazionale di Firenze showing (in box on right) 13 entries of the Fibonacci sequence: the indices from present to XII (months) as Latin ordinals and Roman numerals and the numbers (of rabbit pairs) as Hindu-Arabic numerals starting with 1, 2, 3, 5 and ending with 377. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Liber_abbaci_magliab_f124r.jpg
November 23, 2025 at 9:37 AM
gutenberg.org
Ars Notoria and the Promise of Instant Knowledge

By Anne Lawrence-Mathers via @publicdomainrev.bsky.social

publicdomainreview.org/essay/ars-no...

#books #old_Manuscripts
Two figures related to the art of astronomy from a manuscript of the Ars notoria (NLI Ms. Yah. Var. 34), ca. 1550–1600. Each contains subordinate figures to be contemplated — while reciting accompanying prayers (orations) — in a prescribed sequence over time and with respect to the cardinal directions. Credits מאוסף הספרייה הלאומית
August 1, 2026 at 9:13 AM
gutenberg.org
Leonardo’s ‘Codex Atlanticus’ Is Complete for the First Time in 400 Years

by Vittoria Benzine

news.artnet.com/art-world/le...

Books by Galileo at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...

#books #science #old_Manuscripts
Design for a flying machine Codex Atlanticus f.858r is a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. A page that teatures sketches of bat/bird-inspired wings with mechanical linkages, a prone human pilot, and his characteristic mirror-script Italian notes alongside. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ailes_battantes_Luc_Viatour.jpg
June 9, 2026 at 9:50 AM
gutenberg.org
Thirty previously unpublished verses by Empedocles discovered on a papyrus from Cairo

by University de Liege

edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan

phys.org/news/2026-04...

Empedocles at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc...

#books #literature #old_manuscripts
The Strasbourg Empedocles papyrus contained over 50 lines from Empedocles' work On Nature that were not published until 1999. Multiple torn, irregular fragments of ancient papyrus, dark brown with age, bearing neat columns of Greek uncial script in black ink. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empedocles#/media/File:Empedokles_fragment_Physika_I_262%E2%80%93300.jpg
April 3, 2026 at 9:18 AM
gutenberg.org
Previously Unknown Medieval Chronicle Discovered

www.medievalists.net/2026/02/prev...

More articles about Maronite Chronicle of 713:
medievalworlds.net/0xc1aa5572_0...

www.academia.edu/145038749/Re...

#books #literature #old_manuscripts
Arabic Manuscripts 597. Book of Daniel and Solomon's Proverbs. The image shows two pages of Arabic text written in traditional calligraphy, appearing to be a biblical manuscript. St. Catherine's Monastery houses one of the world's most important collections of ancient manuscripts, including significant Arabic Christian texts. This manuscript represents the Arabic translation tradition of biblical books, important for understanding how scripture was transmitted and read in Arabic-speaking Christian communities. Part of Manuscripts in St. Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai: Microfilm 5014: Arabic (312) Manuscripts in St. Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai (1,691) https://www.loc.gov/resource/amedmonastery.00279390684-ms/?sp=19&st=image
February 15, 2026 at 10:34 AM
gutenberg.org
Galileo’s handwritten notes found in ancient astronomy text

Discovery sheds new light on how famed astronomer came to lead a scientific revolution

ByJoshua Sokol

www.science.org/content/arti...

Galileo at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...

#Books #Old_Manuscripts
Title page of *Istoria e dimostrazioni intorno alle macchie solari* (1613) 1613 title page of Galileo's Istoria e Dimostrazioni intorno alle Macchie Solari (History of Sunspots), published in Rome. Galileo's landmark sunspot letters to Marco Welser, featuring the Lincean Academy lynx emblem with crown. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei#/media/File:Galileo_Macchie_solari.jpg
May 14, 2026 at 9:28 AM
gutenberg.org
As wars destroyed schools and libraries across Italy, one Roman official began copying ancient books and helped save centuries of knowledge from disappearing

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe...

The Letters of Cassiodorus at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18590

#books #old_Manuscripts
Frontispiece showing Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus (seated opposite Theodoric), fol. 2r of Leiden ms. vul. 46 (Gesta Theodorici), Manuscript on vellum. 186 ff., 220 x 125 mm. Fulda, dated 1176/7. A medieval manuscript illustration labeled "Cassiodor. Senator" showing Cassiodorus seated on an ornate throne, wearing a cap and cloak, holding an open book inscribed with Latin text, with one hand raised in a gesture of instruction or address.
July 18, 2026 at 9:32 AM
gutenberg.org
To read 2,000-year-old burned scrolls, scientists burn their own

by Robert Sanders

phys.org/news/2026-09...

Original article:
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

#old_Manuscripts #science #tomography
Heruclaneum Papyrus 1521 f001r, British Library. The seven fragments, recovered and published in Piaggio’s workshop in Italy, were part of a gift containing a number of scrolls that King Ferdinand of Naples had sent to George IV of England in exchange for a royal giraffe for his private zoo. Scroll contains a portion of a work by the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341–270 BCE). Framed carbonized Herculaneum papyrus fragment ("Papyrus 1521") from the British Library, preserved after Vesuvius's 79 CE eruption. Blackened and fragile, with handwritten Italian cataloguing notes in the margins from early scholarly study of the Herculaneum scrolls.
September 19, 2026 at 10:14 AM
gutenberg.org
Up to 60% of medieval texts and 95% of manuscripts have vanished, study finds

by Dario Radley

archaeologymag.com/2026/07/medi...

Original article:
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

#books #literature #old_Manuscripts
The eight phases of the Song of Roland in one picture; illustration by Simon Marmion from an illuminated manuscript of the Grandes Chroniques de France (15th century), currently preserved in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. A crowded mass of armored knights clashes in the center-left foreground; nobles and clergy watch near a city gate at bottom left; a small chapel with clerics reading sits at bottom right; mounted courtiers and falconers appear at top right; and dark, symbolic cloud shapes with faint winged figures frame the upper corners. Rolling hills and a distant town fill the background.
July 11, 2026 at 8:05 AM
gutenberg.org
Writing As Spiritual Practice: Inside the World of Medieval Scribes

Joel Halldorf on the Monks Who Helped Preserve Generations of Cultural Heritage

lithub.com/writing-as-s...

A student's history of education at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60113

#books #literature #old_Manuscripts
Fig. 7.—A monk in the scriptorium. A woodcut illustration of a medieval monk or scholar seated at a writing desk, wearing robes and a tall cap, surrounded by open books on stands and shelves, carefully writing or copying a manuscript. Title: A student's history of education Author: Frank Pierrepont Graves
July 7, 2026 at 8:57 AM
gutenberg.org
The Bayeux Tapestry tells only the winner’s story – but the other side can be found in old English texts

by Catherine Clarke

theconversation.com/the-bayeux-t...

Bayeux tapestry at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#Books #Literature #Tapestry #Old_Manuscripts
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY ELUCIDATED. BY REV. JOHN COLLINGWOOD BRUCE, LL.D., F.S.A., Plate I. Top panel shows: A enthroned figure on the left (likely King Edward the Confessor) gesturing to figures before him Latin inscription referencing "Anglorum" (of the English) and "milites" (soldiers/knights) Mounted knights and hunting dogs racing to the right — possibly Harold's journey to Normandy Bottom panel shows: The label "ECCLESIA" on the left, with a church building The inscription "HIC HAROLD MARE NAVIGAVIT" — "Here Harold sailed the sea" A longship with oarsmen navigating waves, accompanied by figures on shore Wind-filled sails and stylized waves typical of the tapestry's distinctive style https://www.gutenberg.org/files/55614/55614-h/55614-h.htm
May 22, 2026 at 8:40 AM
gutenberg.org
Lost copy of seventh-century poem in Old English discovered at Rome library

by Rory Carroll

www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...

Caedmon's Hymn by Caedmon as an audio file at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19677

#Books #Literature #Old_Manuscripts
One of two candidates for the earliest surviving copy of Cædmon's Hymn is found in the Moore Bede (Northumbria, ca. 737) Manuscript fragment of Cædmon's Hymn in Old English, written in early medieval script. This is the Moore Bede version (c. 737 AD), one of the oldest surviving examples of written Old English poetry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A6dmon%27s_Hymn#/media/File:Caedmon's_Hymn_Moore_mine01.gif
April 29, 2026 at 11:05 AM
gutenberg.org
Over 32,000 medieval manuscripts transcribed in four months using AI

www.medievalists.net/2026/01/3200...

Original paper:
inria.hal.science/hal-05299220

The CoMMA website:
comma.inria.fr/homepage

#books #old_manuscripts
First page of Chronicon Pictum, the "Illuminated Chronicle" from the court of King Louis the Great of Hungary from 1358. Main illumination shows: A multi-paneled scene within an elaborate architectural frame Central figure: A crowned king (likely representing Hungarian royalty) seated on a throne Left panel: Armed warriors or knights Right panel: Groups of courtiers or nobles Rich colors: deep blues, reds, golds, and ochres Gothic architectural elements including towers and arches Latin text in two columns Red lettering (rubrics) for important headings and initial words Black text for the main chronicle Beautiful calligraphy in Gothic script https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript#/media/File:K%C3%A9pes_kr%C3%B3nika_els%C5%91_lapja.jpg
January 30, 2026 at 10:47 AM
gutenberg.org
5 Dazzling Medieval Manuscripts That Have Outlasted Empires

These manuscripts stand out for their artistry, craftsmanship, and historical significance.

by Tim Brinkhof

news.artnet.com/art-world/il...

Old manuscripts at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc...

#archeology #books #old_manuscripts
Book of Kells (an illuminated manuscript), Folio 32v, Christ Enthroned. Folio 32v from the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript created circa 800 CE, depicting Christ Enthroned. This masterpiece of Insular art showcases the elaborate Celtic ornamentation, vibrant colors, and intricate geometric patterns characteristic of medieval Irish monastic manuscripts. The page exemplifies the extraordinary artistic achievement of early medieval Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Kells#/media/File:KellsFol032vChristEnthroned.jpg
December 20, 2025 at 10:06 AM
gutenberg.org
New Project Explores the Craft of Writing in the Medieval Nordic World

www.medievalists.net/2026/03/new-...

Paleography at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #paleography #old_manuscripts
Greek minuscule, 15th-century manuscript of Aristotle Anonymous - Reproduction in: Franz Steffens, Proben aus grieschischen Handschriften und Urkunden, (Trier: Schaar und Dathe, 1912). The page exemplifies Byzantine minuscule — the cursive, compact Greek script that developed from the 9th century onward and became the dominant manuscript hand of the medieval Greek-speaking world. The most visually striking element is the large ornamental "A" (Alpha) in the upper left — an elaborate headpiece initial decorated with interlacing scrollwork, floral motifs, and foliate patterns in a style characteristic of late Byzantine manuscript illumination. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaeography#/media/File:Greek_manuscript_minuscule_Aristotle.png
March 16, 2026 at 11:42 AM
gutenberg.org
Japanese researchers look at 800-year-old books and trees for signs of extreme solar events

by By Tomoko Otake

www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04...

Full article here:
www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/pjab...

Solar cycle at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc...

#books #old_manuscripts #solar_cycle
A drawing of Fujiwara no Teika, known as a courtier, waka poet and scholar of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. The figure is seated and dressed in elaborate court robes with wide sleeves and intricate patterns. He wears a formal headpiece and has a composed, slightly turned facial expression. In one hand, he seems to hold a rectangular object—possibly a writing tablet or scroll. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fujiwara_no_Teika.jpg
April 11, 2026 at 8:48 AM
gutenberg.org
Six centuries of secularism

When the first ‘how-to’ books began to explain the way the world worked, they paved the way for science and secularism

by William Eamon

aeon.co/essays/six-c...

Secularism at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #old_manuscripts #literature
Ramon Llull/Raimundus Lullus (1232? - 1316; Encyclopedist) This is a historical engraving of Ramon Llull (also known as Raimundus Lullus), a 13th-14th century Majorcan philosopher, theologian, and encyclopedist (1232?-1316), depicted with flowing beard, ornate Renaissance-era clothing, and pipe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Llull#/media/File:Ramon_Llull.jpg
December 5, 2025 at 10:28 AM
gutenberg.org
X-rays from SLAC's synchrotron reveal star maps in a centuries-old manuscript

www6.slac.stanford.edu/news/2026-01...

Hipparchus at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc...

#books #old_manuscripts #astronomy
A leaf from the Codex Climaci Rescriptus in the Green Collection. This image shows: Upper layer (darker text): Written in Syriac (a dialect of Aramaic), visible as the black script Under layer (faint, underlying text): The ghostly traces of an earlier text in Christian Palestinian Aramaic (also called Palestinian Syriac), visible as the fainter, brownish text running underneath Two layers: You can see both texts overlapping, with the undertext running in a different direction or angle from the overtext About the Codex Climaci Rescriptus: Undertext (Christian Palestinian Aramaic): Written in the 6th-8th centuries CE Overtext (Syriac): Written later, around the 8th-9th centuries CE or later https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Codex_Climaci_Rescriptus.jpg
January 30, 2026 at 11:57 AM
gutenberg.org
As a ‘book scientist’ I work with microscopes, imaging technologies and AI to preserve ancient texts

by Christina Dinh Nguyen

theconversation.com/as-a-book-sc...

Old manuscripts at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/searc...

#books #culturalHeritage #old_manuscripts
Incomplete manuscript of the Dhammapada in Gandhari and in Kharosthi characters. It may have been copied between the end of the 1st century CE and the end of the 3rd century CE, which makes it the one of the oldest known Indian language documents. Its sheets, in birch bark, reinforced in the direction of the height by a string sewn on each side, are about 20 cm wide. Here fragmentary, originally at least 1.23 m long, they were, after reading, folded in on themselves, thus forming notebooks about 20 cm long and 4 to 5 cm thick. Acquired by the Dutreuil de Rhins mission (1891-1894) in Central Asia. Bibliothèque nationale de France, département des Manuscrits, pali 715-A https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandh%C4%81ran_Buddhist_texts#/media/File:Manuscrit_BnF_pali_715-A.jpg
April 6, 2026 at 9:12 AM
gutenberg.org
Scientists found the key to accurate Maya eclipse tables

Eclipse tables in the Dresden Codex were based on lunar tables and adjusted for slippage over time.

by Jennifer Ouellette

arstechnica.com/science/2025...

Original article
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#books #old_manuscripts #astronomy
Pages of the Dresden codex on eclipses . The image shows several adjoining pages of the Dresden Codex, an ancient Maya manuscript. The pages are filled with dense Maya hieroglyphs, numbers, and symbols arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns. Much of the imagery uses black and red ink on a cream-colored, weathered surface. Across the pages are repeating patterns of dot-and-bar numerals, used in Maya calendrical calculations. Interspersed among the glyph blocks are stylized drawings of deities and serpent-like figures, characteristic of Maya cosmology. These particular pages are known for containing astronomical tables related to eclipses, and the highly structured numerical sequences suggest predictive calculations.
November 21, 2025 at 10:52 AM
gutenberg.org
How Close Did We Come to Losing Beowulf Forever?

Robert Bartlett on a Vital Work of the Western Canon That Barely Survived Multiple Disasters

lithub.com/how-close-di...

Beowulf at PG:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje...

#books #literature #old_manuscripts
The first folio of the heroic epic poem Beowulf, written primarily in the West Saxon dialect of Old English. Part of the Cotton MS Vitellius A XV manuscript currently located within the British Library. This is a digital photographic copy of the folio. Text shown according to https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43521/beowulf-old-english-version: WE GARDE na in geardagum, þeodcyninga, [129] þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah, egsode eorlas. Then the feast was found, he asked for it, grew under the clouds, the gods, until each of those sitting around him heard the sound of the horn, gomban gyldan. That was a good king. After that, he was remembered, walking in the fields, the good one sent to the king; the fire on the king who had long been dead. His life, the ruler of the people, the lord of the world, was taken away; Beowulf was quick to spring forth, Scyld's son, into the lands of the dead. Thus shall men go forth to good deeds, from pious gifts to their fathers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf#/media/File:Beowulf_Cotton_MS_Vitellius_A_XV_f._132r.jpg
October 13, 2025 at 9:15 AM