About Scribes In Time Past

Much of what we know about Ancient History may be attributed to those scribes who, over an entire millennium ago, recopied and preserved for subsequent generations (this includes us!) substantial knowledge, stories and other records.

Most scribes worked in monasteries, but other scribes as well documented their discoveries, chiseled records in stone or painted pictures that we may still read and view today.

The scribes who worked in monasteries typically didn't work alone but in large groups. For example, one group wrote text while another illuminated with fancy artwork. But usually they all worked together in what became known as the Scriptorium, that part of the monastery devoted solely to the maintenance of manuscripts.

Their preferred "paper," up through the 4th Century AD, rather than being derived from harvested trees as we would have it today, was derived rather from a wild, tufted and solid-stemmed marsh grass that grew commonly along the banks of the Nile River — Cyperus papyrus, or simply papyrus.

Then in the 4th Century AD they discovered the superiority of using animal hides (goat, sheep, but preferably calf) as a writing material. Stronger, and much more durable, writing on animal skins meant much less work, as they needed to recopy far less frequently what on papyrus tore or fell apart over time. Also, corrections made on animal skins were easier. An incorrect mark could be readily scraped off with a knife and the correction written over in the same place.

Prior to writing, they drew lines on the vellum (calf skin) or parchment (other animal skins) to guide the scribe's hand as he wrote. The lines were drawn typically in lead or some alloy thereof. (Apparently, they were unaware of lead's toxicity to humans!) Another means of ruling the skins prior to writing was by scraping the skins in straight lines with some sharp instrument (made of bone or metal).

 

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