Note: These videos and links are for further reading and viewing after class. No preparation for class is required.
Medieval Europeans chiefly wrote on either parchment or paper. Parchment, sometimes also called vellum, is a term for animal skins, usually sheep- or goatskins, that have been carefully scraped to provide a smooth writing surface. It was the dominant writing surface of choice after the first and second centuries CE and, even after its use as a writing material waned, it was still frequently used for bookbinding. Paper, having been invented in ancient China, came to Europe via the Muslim civilizations of the Middle East at some point in the twelfth century. Medieval paper was made of linen rags and was produced by hand. It was the preferred medium for print, though sometimes a print run would include luxury copies printed on vellum.
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Medieval European manuscripts were written in a variety of different hands, each introducing its own variations on the alphabet. They were also often illuminated with beautiful decorations, both in the margins and within the text itself.
The following videos are included below: