Manuscript and Text Cultures (MTC)

Tibetan Bound Books from the Drangsong Collection in Upper Mustang, Nepal

Agnieszka Helman-Ważny — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This article discusses a little-known Tibetan bound-book format, using examples from a unique collection of manuscripts, named Drangsong, belonging to the Bon religion of Tibet. Despite the fact that Tibetan sewn books are rare compared to other formats, they are common in Mustang. This study of sixteen sewn Drangsong manuscripts explores the technical details of their binding, the interdependence of the format and function of these manuscripts, as well as their manufacturing materials in the context of the provenance of these books and the social history of the region. A comparison will then be made between the books’ individual vs. collective features.

Antiquity resurfaced

Dirk Meyer — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Unprovenanced manuscripts increasingly inform the study of early China. Scholars of early China must therefore take a stance as to how they want to position themselves towards such resources. After the publication of the unprovenanced manuscripts in the possession of the Shànghǎi Museum, some members of the scholarly community decided to disengage with research involving unprovenanced texts. They no longer comment, in print, on any matter related to such manuscripts. Or so they claim. Others, including myself, deem it necessary, indeed important, and academically warranted, to engage in considerable depth with these materials, as well as with the academic output created by their publication. And of course, there are various shades of grey between those two camps. Now that with the Ānhuī Dàxué 安徽大學 (Anhui University) acquisition of Songs (Shī 詩) and a text in the tradition of the Analects of Confucius (*Zhòngní yuē 仲尼曰 ‘Confucius said’) the field is confronted with another major cache of foundational texts of unknown origins dating to the Warring States period (c. 453–221 BC), it is timely that we reflect, methodologically, on the pros and cons of using these materials in academic discourse.

Manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah as educative tools

Marc Michaels — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study of manuscripts provides an excellent portal into the past. This is particularly evident through the window that the Cairo Genizah

provides into how knowledge and skills crucial to the survival of society were passed on. In this article, starting with the basic curriculum of reading and writing and moving to the more sophisticated learning of specific skills to serve the community or learn a trade, I examine the contribution of manuscripts to education in that period. Delving into many visual treasures infused with religious practice and meaning, one discovers that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The Herculaneum Papyri

Robert L. Fowler — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper surveys the history of the Herculaneum papyri, as well as past, current and future research on the collection. Buried under the ashes of Vesuvius in the eruption of AD 79, the so-called Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum contains the only library to survive intact from the Greco-Roman world. Soon after its discovery in 1752, it was identified as consisting mainly of works on Epicurean philosophy, especially by Philodemus of Gadara (ca. 110–35 BC). The charcoaled papyrus scrolls, inscribed with charcoal-based ink, present scholars with unique practical challenges. Early attempts to unroll them and read their contents yielded promising results but often resulted in serious damage to the material. Modern imaging techniques have significantly increased the legibility of extant fragments, and with the help of computerised tomography and machine learning it becomes increasingly possible to distinguish writing from background material in still rolled-up papyri. The Holy Grail of Herculaneum papyrology, namely to unroll and read the scrolls virtually, seems no longer out of grasp.

‘Firing Holes’ in Literary Tablets from Ashurbanipal’s Library: Punctuation and Performance

Selena Wisnom — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper aims to shed light on the so-called ‘firing holes’ in cuneiform tablets by combining analysis of their position with poetics. The holes are found in almost every genre of Mesopotamian scholarship, from literature to rituals to omens to medical and lexical texts. They occur especially often in tablets that were part of ancient libraries, in particular the collection known as ‘Ashurbanipal's library’ assembled by the Assyrian king in the seventh century BC in Nineveh, northern Iraq. Yet despite the frequency of these holes, they are usually overlooked and their meaning remains a mystery. The paper analyses the placement of the holes in relation to the text and its meaning, applying the methodology of close reading to three poems: the Babylonian Theodicy, Poem of the Righteous Sufferer, and Ninurta's Exploits. It is argued that the holes represent a form of punctuation that can either indicate pauses in performance, act as commas on a page, or serve as visual markers to draw attention to sections like a form of highlighting. Different manuscripts employ the holes in different ways, which is consistent with other punctuating practices cross-culturally. This has implications for our understanding of the performance of Mesopotamian poetry and its metrical structure, the interpretations of individual scribes, questions of emphasis, and the history of punctuation.

The Lorscher Bienensegen is an Amulet: Using Manuscript Margins to Make Amulets

Tim Hertogh — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Old High German Lorscher Bienensegen or Lorsch bee incantation is one of the best-known examples of a text that uses the power of words to influence the behaviour of bees. During the tenth century, this text was written upside down in the margins of the ninth-century manuscript Vatican, Cod. Pal. Lat. 220. It has long been assumed that the text is a written version of an oral tradition that was recited by beekeepers in and around the abbey of Lorsch. However, this raises the question of why someone would write such a text upside down in the margins of an older manuscript. Contrary to previous scholarship, I propose that the Lorsch bee incantation was intended to be used as an amulet which was to be placed in an apiary. To make this argument, I will first discuss other Bienensegen, several of which explicitly instruct their readers to write down the text to prevent bees from fleeing. Second, I will demonstrate that in
the manuscript that contains the incantation numerous parts of the margins were cut out. Thereby, I will suggest that the resulting strips of parchment could have been used to produce amulets. In short, I will argue that the Lorscher Bienensegen is an amulet.

Protest and Silence in the Peking University Manuscript Wang Ji 妄稽 (‘Ms. Baseless’)

Thomas Crone — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article discusses the Western Han manuscript Wang Ji obtained by Peking University, which consists of a narrative poem relating the life of Wang Ji, a woman of utterly repulsive appearance, and her bitter conflicts with her husband Zhou Chun and his concubine Yu Shi. By delving into the complex socio-political landscape embodied in the text’s narrative structure, this article explores themes of marital conventions, gender roles and silence within the domestic sphere. The author argues that the Wang Ji poem is particularly notable for its portrayal of silence as a multifaceted tool of communication and resistance. The in-laws’ ignoring of Wang Ji’s protests against the acquisition of Yu Shi, as well as their inability to address Wang Ji’s violent abuse of the concubine, underscore the nuanced power dynamics at play within early Han society. This analysis not only sheds light on the contradictions between gender conventions and the lived realities of the time but also on the influence women wielded in navigating these complexities. Attempting to contribute to our understanding of early Han society, this article offers insights into the intersection of legal, social and personal spheres through a singular narrative. It highlights the enduring human struggle for autonomy and respect within the constraints of societal and familial expectations, providing a rich narrative for exploring the intricate balance between conformity and resistance.

The Body of the Text: Williram of Ebersberg’s Song of Songs Commentary in Its Manuscript Transmission

Henrike Laehnemann, Michael Rupp — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Williram of Ebersberg presents his Latin-German Expositio in Cantica canticorum (ca. 1080) as an engagement with the text as ‘body’ which relates to the love poetry of the Song of Songs and realises it on the parchment in a specific layout. The essay argues that the unity of the text and commentary in the visual layout is transmitted differently from the eleventh to the sixteenth century and is an expression of a monastic manuscript culture.