Leafing through time: Ink Analysis of the longest Qur’ān on Papyrus |
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| Sowmeya Sathiyamani, Mathieu Tillier, Naïm Vanthieghem, Claudia Colini |
- Abstract:
- The fragments preserved at the Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg, under the shelfmark P. Hamb. Arab. 68 are, to date, the longest and oldest excerpt of extant Qurʾān on papyrus. The fragments contain the Sura 2 in its entirety, written over seven bifolia originally sewed in a single quire. The writing incorporates the use of diacritical dots as well as markers indicating the ends of verses and text. Three of the seven folios were analysed to determine the inks used in writing the texts, the dots and the markers. The results indicate that the text was written with a carbon-based ink characterised by the presence of trace amounts of copper, possibly due to impurities in the water or the use of a copper or bronze inkwell. The diacritical dots completing the text were penned using the same ink while a different carbon ink, without copper, was used for the decorative elements of the text.
- Download:
- IMEKO-MetroArchaeo-2023-158.pdf
- DOI:
- 10.21014/tc4-ARC-2023.158
- Event details
- IMEKO TC:
- TC4
- Event name:
- TC4 MetroArchaeo 2023
- Title:
IMEKO TC4 International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
- Place:
- Rome, ITALY
- Time:
- 19 October 2023 - 21 October 2023