13. Scribal activity, school and learning
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This collection covers all aspects of scribal activity, job descriptions, signed colophons, scribal illustrations, and equipment such as reeds, styli, inkwells and wax tablets.
It also includes a series of ancient school texts, taking the student through all stages from learning writing and grammar, to exercises in literature and advanced mathematics.
13.1. Scribal training and studies
- MS 2429/4 Sumer, 31st c. BC
- See also MS 3047, Sumer, 27th c. BC
- MS 4481 Babylonia, ca. 19th c. BC
- See also MS 2367/1, Babylonia, 20-17th c. BC
- See also MS 1844, Babylonia, 20th c. BC
- See also MS 3048, Babylonia, 19th c. BC
- See also MS 3052, Babylonia, 19th c. BC
- MS 1695 Egypt, 1307-1070 BC
- See also MS 4575, Uruk, ca. 300 BC
- MS 1985 Spain, 1412-1416
- See also MS 233/1, Turkey, 1434/5
- See also MS 1793, Russia, 1550-1560
- MS 023 Italy, 1434
- MS 111 Italy (or Spain), ca. 1458-1459
- See also MS 2226, Assyria, 705-681 BC
- See also MS 3030, Assyria, 681-669 BC
- See also MS 035, Mount Sinai, 979
- See also MS 006/1, Belgium, ca. 1200
- See also MS 692, England, ca. 1220-1240
- See also MS 661, Pisa, ca. 1310
- See also MS 233/1, Turkey, 1435
- See also MS 1750, Moldavia, ca. 1450
- See also MS 1781, Germany, 1478
- See also MS 2258, Ethiopia, 1497-1508
13.4. Scribal tools: Writing styli, inkwells, wax tablets
- MS 1987/09 Egypt, ca. 1580-1200 BC
- MS 1987/10 Egypt, 1580-1085 BC
- See also MS 3021/1, Babylonia, 800-600 BC
- See also MS 1655/2, Khirbet Qumran, before 68 AD
- See also MS 1835, London, early 2nd c.
- MS 608 Egypt, ca. 600
- MS 1987/12, Norway, 9th-10th c.
13.1. Scribal training and studies
LEXICAL LIST OF 41 TITLES AND PROFESSIONS, STARTING: NAM GIS SITA=LORD OF THE MACE. SIGNED BY THE SCRIBE GAR.AMA; SCHOOL TEXT
MS in archaic Sumerian on clay, Sumer, 31st c. BC, 1 tablet, 8,6x8,0x1,7 cm, 5 columns, 41+1 compartments in pictographic script by the scribe GAR.AMA.
Commentary: Lord of the mace is an early Sumerian term for king or ruler.
The pictographic lexical lists are the earliest such literature known; and also the earliest known evidence of school and learning. The scribes signatures on the present MS and other lexical lists are the earliest autograph signatures extant.
Exhibited: Oslo Katedralskole 850 år, Jubileumsutstilling 10. - 14. March 2003.
See also MS 3047, Mathematical exercise, Sumer, 27th c. BC
SCHOOLDAYS A: GRADUATE OF THE SCRIBAL ACADEMY, WHERE DID YOU GO IN OLDEN DAYS? I WENT TO SCHOOL, WHAT DID YOU DO IN SCHOOL? I READ MY TABLET, AND COPIED MY TABLET. THEY PREPARED FOR ME MY PREPARED LINES - LET ME TELL YOU WHAT MY TEACHER TOLD ME - EVEN A FOOL COULD EASILY FOLLOW HIS INSTRUCTIONS, TABLETS OF SUMERIAN AND AKKADIAN, TABLETS OF THE SCRIBAL ART - I AM SCRIBE AND KNOW HOW TO INSCRIBE A STELA. COLOPHON: NISABA (GODDESS OF WRITING). TOTAL: 36 LINES, EXERCISE TABLET. SUEN -USELLI RECEIVED IT ON 22ND DAY OF MONTH 11
MS in Neo Sumerian on clay, Babylonia, ca. 19th c. BC, 1 tablet, 10,9x6,0x2,9 cm, single column, 39+6 lines in cuneiform script.
See also MS
2367/1, Literature exercise, Babylonia, 20th-17th c. BC
See also
MS
1844, Mathematical exercise, Babylonia, 20th c. BC
See also MS 3048,
Mathematical exercise, Babylonia, 19th c. BC
See also MS 3052,
Mathematical exercise, Babylonia, 19th c. BC
SESH, HIEROGLYPH OF "SCRIBE", CONSISTING OF THE PALETTE WITH WELLS FOR RED AND BLACK INK, SHOULDER STRAP, WATER POT AND REED PEN
MS in Egyptian on limestone flake, Deir-el-Medina, Western Thebes, Egypt, 19th or 20th dynasty, 1292-1069 BC,1 ostracon, 11x12 cm, with the hieroglyph "sesh" in an expert script, sketch in rust-red of the standing scribe wearing a knee-length kilt, his arms raised to present a papyrus scroll and possibly a writing palette, behind him an offering-table.
Binding: Barking, Essex, 1993, red cloth gilt folding case, by Aquarius.
Provenance: 1. Excavated at Deir-el-Medina, Western Thebes (ca. 1975); 2. Bernard Quaritch Ltd., London.
Commentary: Deir-el-Medina is the village which was occupied by the community of workmen employed on constructing and decorating the tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Many such pieces, mostly dating from the 19th and 20th Dynasties (1292-1069 BC), have been recovered from this site, mainly being detailed drafts for specific details of a tomb's decoration. This piece is unusual, showing not only the scribe's autograph, but also his self-portrait.
Exhibited: Conference of European National Librarians, Oslo. Sept. 1994.
See also MS 4575, Medical text, Uruk, ca. 300 BC
- ORDINANCES FOR THE REGULATION OF THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD AND OFFICES OF STATE (ARAGON AND CATALONIA) BY KING PETER IV OF ARAGON WITH ADDITIONS BY JOHN I, MARTIN AND FERDINAND I, INCLUDING DESCRIPTIONS OF THE TASKS OF THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF SCRIBES EMPLOYED
- HISTORICAL CUSTOMS OF THE COURT, ENDING WITH STIL DE CORT ANTIQUAT FROM THE TIME OF ALFONSO IV OF ARAGON FOR THE MOVEMENT OF COURT OFFICIALS
- DETAILS OF THE PAYMENTS DUE TO OFFICIALS OF THE COURT DURING THE REIGN OF ALFONS IV, MENTIONING MUSICIANS, FALCONERS, MINSTRELS, SECRETARIES AND SCRIBES AMONGST OTHERS, ENDING WITH EXPENSES CONNECTED WITH THE CONQUEST OF SARDINIA IN 1326/7
MS in Catalan on paper and vellum, Aragon, Spain, 1412-1416, 169+5 ff. (text complete), 34x23 cm, 2 columns, (21x15 cm), 38 lines in a rotunda Gothic book script of medium quality, titles in Gothic book script of high grade and very good quality, by the scribe Salvius Calsada, rubrics in red, large, up to 16-line, initials alternately in red and blue with contrasting penwork in purple and red with full marginal flourishes.
Binding: Spain, 18th c., gilt calf, sewn of 6 bands, gilt edges, red morocco spine label gilt.
Context: The text is recorded in 7 MSS. 3 are in Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale de France, 1 in Wien: Reichsarchiv.
Provenance: 1. Gralta Family, Treasurers of Catalonia (ca. 1412-1416 -); 2. Marquess of Aitona, treasurer of Catalonia; 3. Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford (-1827); 4. R.H. Evans, London 8.12.1830; 5. Sir Thomas Phillipps, Cheltenham, Ph 6737, (1830-1872); 6. Katharine, John, Thomas & Alan Fenwick, Cheltenham, (1872-1946); 6. Robinson Bros., London (1946-1969); 8. Sotheby's 25.11.1969:464; 9. Joan Gili, Oxford (1969-1994); 10. Jeremy Griffiths, Oxford.
Commentary: The present text describes in extraordinary detail the
organisation of a medieval Court under the different departments of the
household, ranging from butler, cooks, and provisioners to the falconers,
doctors, mace-bearers and keepers of the horses, with full descriptions of
their jobs and their responsibilities.
A considerable part of the MS
concerns the work of the scribes of the various departments, such as copying
documents, taking letters, keeping accounts, copying instructions, sealing,
preparing vellum, ink and pens, in all ca. 40 different scribal jobs. The
present text is a major source to the knowledge of the medieval scribe.
Exhibited: University of Oslo. Domus Bibliotheca, 6-15 May 1996: European medieval manuscripts from The Schøyen Collection.
See also MS
233/1, Scribe at work, Turkey, 1434/5
See also MS 1793,
Scribe at work, Russia, 1550-1560
| 1. | BARTOLOMEO DA SAN CONCORDIA: SUMMA CASUM, WITH PROLOGUE |
| 2. | TWO PAPAL DECREES IN GENERAL COUNCIL ON CANON LAW |
| 3. | THOMAS AQUINAS: DE SECUNDIS NUPTIIS (SHORT QUOTATION) |
MS in Latin on vellum, Calabria, Italy, 1434 (text 3 ca. 1500), 241 ff. (-8), 19x13 cm, 2 columns (13x10 cm), 37-45 lines in a small Gothic book script by Guilgemus Nicolai de Campis (=Wilhelmus á Kempis), cleric of the diocese of Utrecht (text 1). Text 2 signed by Frater Franciscus Zena.
Binding: Calabria, Italy, mid 15th c., red-stained leather over bevelled wooden boards, sewn on 3 thongs, blindruled, 13 very small bosses.
Provenance: 1. Written for the Observantine friar Brother Thomas de Bova, Calabria, Italy (1434); 2. Frater Franciscus Zena, Italy (15th c.); 3. Sotheby's 23.6.1987:80.
Commentary: Long colophon explaining that the author completed his text in Pisa in 1388, that it was copied by Guilgelmus Nicolai de Campis, cleric of the diocese of Utrecht for the observantine friar Brother Thomas de Bova, of Calabria, and that he began writing on 13 May and finished on 24 July 1434, i.e. in ca. 64 workdays, or an average of 8 pp. a day.
- ARISTOTELES: NICOMACHEAN ETHICS. TRANSLATED BY LEONARDO ARETINO BRUNI
- ARISTOTELES (PS): ECONOMICS. TRANSLATED BY LEONARDO ARETINO BRUNI
- LEONARDO ARETINO BRUNI: ISAGOGICA
MS in Latin on vellum, Napoli, Italy (or perhaps Catalonia, Spain), ca. 1458-1459, 188 ff. (ff. 4-6 later additions), else complete, 30x22 cm, single column, (18x12 cm), 25-28 lines in a strong humanistic book script with many calligraphic flourishes by the Spanish scribe Gabriel Altadell, incipits and explicits in red for all books and prefaces, except two, running headings and capitals in red, 114 3-&4-line initials in burnished gold, 1 3-line painted initial in red, 17 large initials in burnished gold with full and partial border decoration of elaborate white-vine scrolls against blue, green, red and burnished gold grounds, filled with putti, monkeys, dogs, dragons, hybrid beasts and exotic birds, some with burnished gold dots surrounded with black penwork, by one of the artists who worked on the Hours of King Alfonso. Arms of the Copons family of Catalonia on f. 9r.
Binding: Spain, ca. 1900, vellum over board, sewn on 3 thongs, with gilt floral border, inlaid in centre of the upper cover a calf panel from the former binding with a wreath ornament gilt, on the lower cover a gilt monogram MB.
Context: 7 other MSS signed by the same scribe are known. Provenance: 1. The Copons family, Catalonia (from 1458/59); 2. Marques of Barbara, Barcelona (until 1968); 3. William H. Schab, New York, Cat. 46(1968):1; 4. Commodore Tammaro de Marinis, Firenze (from 1968); 5. Bruce Ferrini, Akron, Ohio, Cat. 2(1989):4.
Commentary: 3 half- and full-page colophons, on ff. 8, 160 and 171, in humanistic capitals, Gothic book script and Greek capitals, with extensive, elegant and exaggerated flourishes. All signed by Altadell, who is known for showing off his abilities as a scribe.
Aristoteles’ (384-322 BC) Ethika was dedicated to his son Nichomachus, while his other work on ethics is known as the Eudemian Ethics. They cover much the same topics, instructions how to achieve happiness and human virtues by intellectual activity, as well as by moral intention and virtue of character.
Exhibited: University of Oslo. Domus Bibliotheca, 6-15 May 1996: European medieval manuscripts from The Schøyen Collection.
For further scribal colophons, see:
MS
2226, Assyria, 705-681 BC
MS 3030,
Assyria, 681-669 BC
MS 035, Mount
Sinai, 979
MS 006/1,
Belgium, ca. 1200
MS 692,
England, ca. 1220-1240
MS 661, Pisa,
ca. 1310
MS 233/1,
Turkey, 1435
MS 1750,
Moldavia, ca. 1450
MS 1781,
Germany, 1478
MS 2258,
Ethiopia, 1497-1508
13.4. Scribal tools: Writing styli, inkwells, wax tablets
SCRIBE'S INKSTAND AND PEN-CASE WITH HIS INSCRIPTIONS
MS in Egyptian on wood, Egypt, 18th-19th dynasty, ca. 1550-1185 BC, 1 wooden inkstand and pen-case, 34,0x6,0x0,7 cm, up to 27 lines in Hieratic book script on each side, 2 circular holes for black and red ink at top, a slot cut as to leave a bridge across it to hold 2 pens, 1 pen present.
Context: 2 similar inkstands and pen-cases in British Museum, BM 5518 and 12786, the latter dated to Tutmosis III (1479-1425 BC).
Provenance: 1. Scribe, Egypt (ca. 1550-1185 BC -); 2. Private collection, Netherlands, no 331 (1959-1998); 3. Charles Ede, London.
SCRIBE'S INKSTAND
Inkstand, green glazed steatite, Egypt, New Kingdom, ca. 1550-1069 BC, 1 inkstand, 6,0x3,5x1,8 cm, 2 holes for black and red ink, decoration of parallel lines at either end.
Provenance: 1. Scribe, Egypt (ca. 1550-1069 BC); 2. Private collection, Netherlands (1959-1998); 3. Charles Ede, London
See also MS 3021/1, Cylinder seal illustrating wedge for writing on clay and styli for writing on wax, Babylonia, 800-600 BC
See also MS
1655/2, Inkwell, Khirbet Qumran, before 68 AD
See also MS 1835,
Wax tablet, London, early 2nd c.
| 1. | ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF A LOAN FROM VICTOR SON OF PHOIBAMMON TO A FARMER SON OF ALPHUAS, BOTH FROM THE ESTATE TAL- IN OXYRHYNCHUS |
| 2. | MULTIPLICATION TABLE |
| 3. | UNIDENTIFIED TEXT |
MS in Greek on wax, Cheikh Fadl, Egypt, ca. 600, 1 wooden wax tablet, 21x11 cm, (18x8 cm), 9+4(?)+3 lines in Greek cursive script, with the original writing stylus of bronze.
Binding: England, before 1988, wooden box.
Context: The tablet has originally been part of a codex of tablets. It is pierced with 4 holes for strings to be bound in concertina-folded format.
Provenance: 1. Moen Collection, Baarn, Holland, inv.HT4, (1970s-1980); 2. Charles Ede Cat. "Writing & Lettering in Antiquity", 12(1988):30; 3. Sam Fogg Rare Books Ltd., London, March 1990.
Commentary: Text 1 published by P.J. Sijpesteijn in Stud. Pap. 21. Text 2 published by H. Harrauer & P.J. Sijpesteijn: Neue Texte aus dem antiken Unterricht, in Mitt. Pap. Ost. Nat. NS XV (1985).
VIKING STYLUS WITH CIRCULAR ERASER FOR WAX TABLETS
Stylus in bronze, Norway, 9th-10th c., 1 stylus, 18 cm, bulbous finial diam. 1,5 cm formed by 4 curved bands leaving 4 openings in between, round flattened eraser on top.
Provenance: 1. Found near Borre, Vestfold (1897); 2. Family estate, Tønsberg, Norway (-1999); 3. Hans Storesund, Oslo, Feb. 2000.
Commentary: Registered at Oldsaksamlingen, Historisk Museum, Oslo.