WRITING AND DECORATING MATERIALS IN A 9TH–10TH CENTURY COPTIC PARCHMENT MANUSCRIPT FROM THE WHITE MONASTERY: A MULTI-ANALYTICAL INVESTIGATION | ||
| Shedet | ||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 30 October 2025 | ||
| Document Type: research articles | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/shedet.2025.406470.1320 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Nagah Saada* 1; Mohamed S. Abdel-Aziz2; Ahmed Youssef3; Omar Abdel-Kareem4; Gomaa Abdel-Maksoud5 | ||
| 1Egyptian Museum of Cairo, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquity, , Cairo, P.O.11556, Egypt | ||
| 2Microbial Chemistry Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza, P.O.12622, Egypt | ||
| 3Packaging Materials Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St. Dokki, Giza, P.O.12622, Egypt | ||
| 4Organic Materials Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, 12613, Giza, Egypt | ||
| 5Heritage Science Programs, School of Humanities, Faculty of International Business and Humanities, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), New Borg El-Arab City, 21934, Alexandria, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The text and decorations on a parchment Coptic manuscript dated to the 9th-10th century AD, originating from the White Monastery and now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (inventory no. C.G. 8001), were studied and characterized. A multi-analytical approach was used to characterize black, red, yellow, and green inks and pigments, which included technical photography, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. For black ink, scribes appear to have mixed carbon ink and iron ink in varying proportions, as shown by their response to IRR. Plant ink was used to outline the decorative elements. Mercury sulfide cinnabar was the red ink used for both the headings and decorations. Verdigris (copper acetate) and orpiment (arsenic sulfide) have been identified as the green and yellow pigments used in the decorations. The study enhances our understanding of Coptic manuscript production technology and provides data essential for future conservation strategies, particularly given the known reactivity of verdigris and orpiment, as well as the potential corrosive impact of iron gall ink on parchment. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| mixed ink; cinnabar; orpiment; verdigris | ||
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