Notebook 1945318

Size: (A5) 14,5 x 21 cm
Materials: Spectro recycled leather - Antilope
• Price does not include gemstone fitting
• Checkered 72 Sheets
• Impregnated leather - does not absorb water

By the way...

Medieval manuscripts were massive books made of wood and parchment with religious, political or legendary themes. They were written and illustrated by monks, known as scribes. Manuscripts are particularly known for their rich ornamentation. The most famous and interesting are the so-called marginalia, or humorous drawings in the margins. The most bizarre ones are referred to as droleries.
The monks really let their imagination run wild! The paintings depict, among other things, anthropomorphic animals, fighting in knightly tournaments or brutalising... people (e.g. decapitating them). The scribes were particularly fond of rabbits. Apparently, portraying such a delightful and harmless animal as a human torturer struck a medieval sense of humour (yes, we too have associations with the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"!). Monks also gave vent to their other fantasies, hence it is surprisingly common to see, also in religious books, marginalia of an erotic nature.

But that's just as an aside...

Monk's kiss

Science magazine published a 2017 article by Ann Gibbons entitled "Goats, bookworms, a monk's kiss. Biologists reveal the hidden history of ancient gospels" (Goats, bookworms, a monk's kiss. Biologists reveal the hidden history of ancient gospels). It describes research carried out by an international team of scholars in the Oxford library. There, many samples were taken from medieval books, making it possible to determine, among other things, from the skins of which animals they were created (the aforementioned goat was a surprise). Thanks to the DNA of the woodworms, the exact age of the manuscripts was determined.

Most interesting, however, are the results of the DNA of the monks themselves. The books were read many times, touched, fingers salivated to turn the pages - hence the multitude of genetic material left behind. It was determined which texts were read more often and which were less enjoyed. The genetic material of many microbes that were there as a result of coughs or sneezes has also been discovered - which will contribute to our knowledge of diseases at the time. There were some pleasant surprises, such as a very significant amount of one person's DNA on a page with an illustration of Christ on the cross. This page was repeatedly kissed by, as has now been established, a Dutch monk, and scholars say that further genetic analysis could reveal information such as his ailments, eye colour or hair colour.

(Image: Science.org).