Capital Scripts

This chapter surveys capital letterforms, which have been in use from the second century BC until the present day. It defines two types of capitals in use since the Augustan Era: formal Square Capitals and informal Rustic Capitals, and traces the development of Rustic Capitals as a text hand in manuscripts of classical authors until the sixth century AD as well as the use of Square Capitals until the late fifth century AD. It closes with a look at the use of Rustic Capitals in rubrics of eighth-century manuscripts from England, and Rustic and Square Capitals found in Carolingian contexts.

Scripts of Merovingian Gaul

This chapter surveys some of the pre-Caroline minuscule scripts in use in Merovingian and Italian writing centers during the eighth century. It includes overviews of the following scripts: Laon az, the eN, ab, and Maurdramnus scripts of Corbie, and b-minuscule.

Stages in Diplomatic Production

This chapter examines administrative documents of the Middle Ages and the major scholarly studies of them. It surveys the number of preserved documents and the problems surrounding the lack of documents in different periods and places. The author discusses the role and influence of the Church in the increased production and preservation of documents beginning in the eleventh century, leading to an enormous increase in the production of documents during the last three centuries of the Middle Ages.

Anglo-Saxon Glosses and Grammars

This chapter surveys Old English glosses of Latin works in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and discusses the format of glosses, the types of texts that were glossed, hermeneutic texts, merographs, dry-point glosses, glossae collectae, class glossaries, and alphabetical glossaries. The author also treats the production and study of grammar in Anglo-Saxon England, touching on the works of Bede, Tatwine, Boniface, Alcuin, Priscian, and Aelfric.

Text and Gloss

This chapter examines the relationship between a text and its glosses, using examples from the later Middle Ages. It discusses interlinear glosses, marginal glosses, catena commentaries, as well as the layout of glosses. It argues that medieval glossing represented a new way of thinking and an important method for engaging with the literary and scholarly tradition.

The Manuscript Miscellany

This chapter surveys manuscript miscellanies or commonplace books, unique compilations of seemingly random items chosen by individual compilers for their own purposes. The author discusses the physical evidence for the compilation procedure, the textual and cultural context in which the compilation was made, and the content of the manuscript in question.

The Nomenclature of Gothic Scripts

This chapter examines the problems associated with the nomenclature of scripts in general, and the admittedly confusing nomenclature of Gothic scripts in particular. It argues for the adoption of an objective framework for the classification and the naming of palaeographic scripts, outling the requirements for the creation of a simple, standardized system of palaeographic nomenclature. It contends that a consistent system of nomenclature would make the study of Gothic book scripts much more manageable.

Beneventan (South Italian/Langobardic) Script

This chapter surveys Beneventan script, the distinctive hand of southern Italy which is particularly associated with the most important center of its use, the Abbey of Monte Cassino. Beneventan arose in the late eighth century and continued in common use through the thirteenth--and even later in isolated instances. Distinct calligraphic high points were achieved in various cities, regions, or centers at different periods, including Naples in the tenth century, Monte Cassino in the second half of the eleventh century, and the region of Bari at the same time. Caroline script was used side-by-side with Beneventan at some centers, until Caroline and Gothic scripts finally replaced Beneventan as the standard bookhand in southern Italy.

Who Were the Scribes of Latin Manuscripts?

This chapter discusses scribes from antiquity and the early Christian era through the late Middle Ages: their professions, class, gender, education, religion, age, etc. The status of scribes varied dramatically from period to period, reflecting changes in literacy and respect for the written word. The author discusses monastic attitudes towards writing, the influence of different monastic orders and reform movements on ideas about scribes, and the place of scribal activity in Universities and secular bureaucracies.

Punctuation

This chapter provides a brief survey of the history of punctuation of Latin texts, and functions as a guide to the use of punctuation marks in Latin manuscripts of the Middle Ages. Punctuation in medieval manuscripts is quite variable, some scripts, such as Beneventan, having their own unique punctuation systems. During the Carolingian period, a new system of punctuation (known as positurae) began to be developed; it was later supplemented by the work of Humanist scholars.