medieval manuscript
Monk-copied text
A medieval manuscript is a document written by hand during the Middle Ages, before printing became widespread.
The term usually refers to books—religious texts, literary works, historical records—produced on parchment or vellum by scribes, often in monasteries.
Many feature elaborate illuminations: decorative borders, illustrations, and ornate capital letters in gold leaf and vivid pigments.
The library acquired a medieval manuscript of Chaucer's works.
- black inkDark pigmented writing fluid
- inkWriting fluid
- vellumPrepared calfskin for writing
- animal skinBeast's outer covering
- quillFeather used for writing
illumination · parchment · scriptorium · monastic life · monastery · page · binding · book of hours · prayer book · palimpsest · hidden text · folio · bestiary · marginalia · charter · patronage · Bible · pigment
- medieval romancechivalric romance, courtly love, Arthurian legends, Arthurian legend, knightly quests
- Early MusicGregorian chant, Renaissance music, motet, baroque music, troubadours
- manuscriptscodex, codices, folio, folios, papyri
- medieval writingschronicle, hagiography, treatise, chronicles, bestiary
- ancient artifactsjade mask, Viking sword, bronze sculptures, antiquities, Roman coin
- Tristan legendTristan, Isolde, love potion, Cornwall, Ireland
medieval manuscriptGutenberg Bible
First mass-produced book
newspaper · offset printing · incunabulum · mimeograph · digital text
medieval manuscriptebook
Downloadable text file
website · database entry · hypertext · streaming content · audiobook