Selecting Materials
Research Field K
Various materials have been employed to produce written artefacts. The selection of these materials is not accidental but depends on several factors: the availability and costs of certain products, their quality and durability, but also the meaning and value that specific materials had for writers and patrons, and the traditions and norms of their society. These choices define written artefacts and at the same time affect their circulation, accessibility, and preservation.
The Research Field ‘Selecting Materials’ will contextualise the information acquired through the investigation of the materials, including the data collected through scientific analysis, to uncover preferences, patterns, and their underlying reasons. Further cross-cultural and diachronic comparisons will highlight shared features and emphasise peculiarities that are specific to certain areas and contexts.
Spokesperson: Olivier Bonnerot and Claudia Colini
Current Projects
RFK01
The Scribe's Choice: Writing Supports in Arabic Documents of the Early Islamic Centuries
RFK02
From Carbon to Iron: Evolution of Greek Inks from Hellenistic Times to Late Antiquity
RFK03
Magical Written Artefacts in Late-Medieval German Instructional Literature
RFK07
The Use of Parchment in Arabic Manuscripts of the Early Islamic Centuries
RFK08
On the Path of Ioannes Rhosos' Quill: Investigation of the Inks Used by the 15th Century Greek Calligrapher by Means of Reflectographic and Spectroscopic Analytical Methods
