Palimpsest, or Medieval Attempts to Erase PenWhen you were very young - say, in elementary or primar
Palimpsest, or Medieval Attempts to Erase PenWhen you were very young - say, in elementary or primary school - did you try to use your pencil’s eraser to get rid of pen markings? Because, to me, that’s what a palimpsest (from the gk. palìmpsēstos, “scraped again”) looks like. Palimpsests were manuscript pages on which the original text had been washed or scraped off to make room for a newer text. Relatively insignificant texts endured these scrapings, for they would typically become the canvas for lettering practice and training. However, some palimpsests became home to legendary texts that today hold high patrimonial value. Pictured above is the Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, a Syrian Hymnal.Location: Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Paris, France)Usage Rights: Public Domain -- source link
#medieval history#medieval manuscripts#codicology#manuscript studies#france#syrian#palimpsest