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Nick Pelling – Independent Historian nickpelling@nickpelling ciphermysteries/

Vellum – radiocarbon dated to (1404… Prague – provenance dated to …1612) Between Vellum & Prague …what happened?. Nick Pelling – Independent Historian nickpelling@nickpelling.com http://www.ciphermysteries.com/. Different Types of Evidence. Physical – radiocarbon date, spectroscopy

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Nick Pelling – Independent Historian nickpelling@nickpelling ciphermysteries/

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  1. Vellum – radiocarbon dated to (1404… • Prague – provenance dated to …1612) • Between Vellum & Prague • …what happened? Nick Pelling – Independent Historian nickpelling@nickpelling.com http://www.ciphermysteries.com/

  2. Different Types of Evidence • Physical – radiocarbon date, spectroscopy • Technical – Art History, technique, cladistics • Textual – close reading, reference analysis • Analytical – codicology, palaeography • Social – provenance, mentions, debate Codicology = “archaeology of the page”

  3. Codicology: separate the layers! • Support material (vellum) • Ink + drawings + paint(s) • Marginalia + annotation + colophon • Quire / book / folio numbering • Corrections + emendations + lacunae • Contact transfers + stains + accidents

  4. Forensic analysis: “CSI: Voynich”! • Locard’s Exchange Principle • “Every contact leaves a trace” • Reconstruct the layer deposition order • Like a crime scene! (But with ink, not blood!) • Events leave marks between layers • This lets us infer intermediate states

  5. So, let’s take a look at… …the Voynich Manuscript’squire numbers

  6. Similar numbers (#1) Cod Sang 839 [Thomas Sauvaget] This also has book numbers in top margins:19, 29, 39, 49, 59

  7. Similar numbers (#2) Cod Sang 688 [Philipp Lenz]

  8. Similar numbers (#3) Seckau Abbey MS 384 [Thomas Sauvaget]

  9. Similar numbers (#4) Žiče Monastery MS 972 [Thomas Sauvaget]

  10. Similar numbers (#5) 1464: Flores Musicae Cod.poet.et.phil.qt.52 [Thomas Sauvaget]

  11. One other thing to note… The “chicken scratch” marginalia are onf66v (in Q8) and f86v3 (in Q14)

  12. Voynich Quire Numbers • Quiration uses C15 number forms • Noted by John Matthews Manly in 1931 • Quire number gaps need explanation! • A rarely used quire numbering system • pm9, 29, 39, 49, 5t9, 6t9, 7m9, 8u9, 9n9, 10m9 • “Abbreviated longhand Roman ordinals”

  13. Voynich Folio Numbers • Foliation uses C16 number forms • Probably added not long before Prague • Folio number gaps need explanation! • At least some paint was added later • Under microscope, f42r’s “42” is overpainted • (Rene Zandbergen, 2009)

  14. Quire order ≠ folio order! • C15 quire numbers vs C16 folio numbers • Q9 (‘Quire 9’) was restitched between quiration and foliation (John Grove) • Same for nine-rosette Q14 (Glen Claston) • Q2’s quire ‘-9’ terminates in Q6 (Pelling) Quiration and foliation were independent!

  15. Quire order ≠ original quire order! • Q8 & Q13 – quire number on the wrong page • Q13 & Q20 – both originally in two half-quires • Q15 & Q19 – quires are in reverse order  Quire numberer was not the original author!

  16. Many quire number puzzles! • Multiple quire hands (Pelling 2006) • Multiple quire hand numbering styles • Quire sequence gaps (Q16 & Q18 missing) • Quire order different from original order • Quire order different from folio order • Chicken scratch marginalia separated So… what happened to the quire numbers?

  17. Generally accepted ‘explanation’ ‘Q16 & Q18 were probably single bifolios removed by Baresch to send to Kircher’ Problem: fails to explain the various quire hands, nor why quire hand #1 didn’t number all the quires in one go. Unlikely! Bigger problem: only explanation on offer.

  18. Intellectual History • Assumes actions done in good faith • Assumes rationality under trying conditions • Primarily constrain hypotheses to evidence • Few accounts normally fit all the evidence A poor fit for cryptographic puzzles… But an excellent fit for pure codicology!

  19. Intellectual history of the quires Two core presumptions:- • The quire numbers are not deceptive • The quire numberer(s) followed ‘the rules’:- • Number the quires in order • No need to number the endmost quire • Put number at bottom right of back page • Number each separate book individually

  20. So… a tentative reconstruction This is what I believe happened…

  21. Quire state prior to quiration… The Voynich Manuscript arrived on Quire Hand #1’s desk as three separate books! Book A: Q1-Q7,Q17,Q8(Q14),Q9-Q12,Q20 Book B: Q13 Book C: Q19,Q15

  22. Step #1: origin of Q19… • Q19 was the 1st quire of Book C, and was numbered ‘19’ (‘primus’) by someone else! • Q15 was the 2nd (and last) quire of Book C, so needed no quire number

  23. Step #2: origin of Q13… • An owner rationalized Book A and Book B into a single Book AB1 • AB1: Q1-Q7,Q17,Q8(Q14),Q9-Q13, Q20

  24. Step #3: Q14 falls out… • First folded page of Q14 was f86v3 • Q14’s binding damaged, so had fallen out • Q14 was reinserted immediately after Q8 • AB2: Q1-Q7,Q17,Q8,Q14,Q9-Q13,Q20

  25. Step #4: ‘chicken scratches’ redux • f66v is the last page of Q8 • f86v3 is still the first page of Q14 • Chicken scratch marginalia added to f66v and f86v3 - facing pages! • AB3 = AB2 (but with chicken scratches)

  26. Step #5: origin of Q14… • Nine-rosette Q14 needed rebinding • Nine-rosette page was removed from after Q8 & reinserted after Q13 • AB4: Q1-Q7,Q17,Q8-Q14,Q20

  27. Step #6: origin of Q15… • The owner wanted to rationalize Book AB4 and Book C into a single book • Inserted Book C between Q14 and Q20 • Reversed order of Q15 and Q19! • (Probably added Q20’s quire number) • ABC1 = Q1-Q7,Q17,Q8-Q15,Q19,Q20

  28. Step #7: origin of Q17… • Q17 was originally ‘7m9’, but contained uncomfortably wide folios. Sat awkwardly. • The owner concluded that it should sit between the wide Q15 and Q19 quires • Reordered & changed ‘7m9’ to ’17m9’ • ABC2 = Q1-Q15,Q17,Q19,Q20

  29. Step #8: the missing bifolios Q: where did Q8’s missing bifolios go? A: the foliator saw the stubs of Q14’s ripped fold still in place in the centre of Q8, and counted the stubs as missing bifolios. i.e. the nine-rosette page was literally in two places at once, so was double-counted!

  30. Step #9: origin of Q6/Q7… • Q6 / Q7 ended up with no quire numbers • An owner concluded that these should be quirated in the original numbering style • Final quire order: Q1-Q15,Q17,Q19,Q20

  31. Conclusions (#1) • Several people worked on the Voynich • At least two during C15 • They sought to give it form and order • They looked for clues in the marginalia (…even if they didn’t always get it right!) • Reordered & restitched sympathetically They were bibliophiles… librarians.

  32. Conclusions (#2) • C15 hybrid numbering scheme is unusual • One foot in medieval traditions • One foot in contemporary practices • Torn between the two Not humanists, but monks!

  33. Two Speculative Hypotheses • “The Monastic Library Hypothesis” • “The Voynich Manuscript was given to Rudolf II by a representative or inheritor of an abbey, monastery or friary.” 2. “The Franciscan Library Hypothesis” • “The Voynich Manuscript was given to Rudolf II by a representative or inheritor of a Franciscan abbey, monastery or friary.” (Roger Bacon was a Franciscan monk)

  34. PS: enciphered quire numbers?

  35. That’s All! Thank you for your attention! Any questions? Nick Pelling – nickpelling@nickpelling.com

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