Types of Written Artefacts
A comprehensive typology of handwritten artefacts is – simply put – impossible, since virtually any natural or artificial object can be written upon or fashioned in the shape of writing. Therefore, here we offer a list of the most common forms that handwritten artefacts (manuscripts and inscriptions above all) can assume and that researchers interested in these artefacts may want to know more about in order to investigate their material characteristics, provenance, authenticity, etc.
The reader should keep in mind that terminology is not always consistent nor coherent both within and across the many scholarly traditions that have studied these artefacts. Therefore, despite the effort of including as many key terms as possible, an arbitrary selection had to be made. In particular, the fact that one and the same artefact may be referred to by different labels will appear as not at all uncommon. Finally, formulating types involves combining a series of parameters, such as form, portability and use, whose interaction is complex and varies through time and space. Therefore, all proposed types are in principle open to revision and reformulation.