historical manuscripts
Old written records
Historical manuscripts are original handwritten documents from the past—letters, diaries, legal records, literary drafts, or official decrees preserved for their significance.
Scholars study them to understand earlier periods firsthand: The archive contains historical manuscripts dating to the 12th century.
Distinguished from printed materials and modern copies, they serve as primary sources for research.
- parchmentTreated hide for manuscripts
- vellumPrepared calfskin for writing
- paleographyStudy of ancient handwriting
- scrollsRolled written records
- papyrusAncient plant-derived writing material
illuminated manuscripts · gold leaf · letters · conservation · codex · palimpsest · rare book room · white gloves · charters · colophon · philology · primary sources · carbon dating · incunabula · deciphering · yellowed · manuscripts · cataloging
historical manuscriptsprinted books
Published physical reading material
photocopies · printed matter · desktop publishing · standardized forms