The Structure of a Medieval Manuscript

For more than a thousand years all manuscripts were written and illustrated by hand. By the Middle Ages, books were being made by folding sheets of parchment, arranging them into gatherings, and assembling and binding them together. This animation from the Getty Museum illustrates how medieval books were constructed--a feat of engineering that remains essentially the same today.
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Download video (ZIP files):
HD 480p (MOV 34 MB) -- bit.ly/GeKGf
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Related exhibition:
bit.ly/RsXNP
#manuscripts #gettymanuscripts #gettymuseum

[@Bidmartinlo]

It's funny to think, how the Medieval and Renaissance world had shaped modern history in more ways than some would like to believe.

[@boxersailor]

Parchment is sheep skin, but vellum is calf skin (derived from same word as veal). The press on the printing press was too forceful, and sometimes the pages couldn't be double-sided because the first side would show through. A codex is a volume bound with a cover (in the video). Encyclopediae, dictionaries, stories, and text books are all codices. A book can be written on a scroll, so the word codex and book are not interchangeable. Some books are written on a codex, some codices are books.

[@Diamondraw4Real]

What else is a codex used for if not books? Or do you mean some codices are still empty?

[@ЛидияГромова-ч6ц]

Well, a notebook consists of sheets bound with a cover, but it's pages are blank at first, so it's a codex, but not a book, it's an empty codex. But if someone writes a story in it, then it becomes a book. Codex is just a type of medium for writing or printing, and as such exists even now, but the thing is now everyone calls codices just books, even if they are blank, as notebooks are at first. Does that help?

[@thebooktrooper4769]

I loved this! It was so informative and yet not boring. These books are so gorgeous I'd love to have them for myself in fact!

[@CatherineSTodd]

The magic of the mind and imagination combined with mathematicians, engineers and artisans continues to amaze. These books are fabulous and beautiful. I hope I can create one some day.

[@gettymuseum]

@zxbee You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@bbettybutcher5]

Why am I digging those 14 years oldies but goodies videos? 😂

[@DavidWayne81]

a point of clarification parchment does not specify an animal of source, vellum is specifically from bovines (not necessarily young)

[@unknownegg955]

U WILL BE HAPPY BECAUSE AFTER 12 YEARS WE COMMENT ON THIS VIDEO 😭😭 THANKS FOR PRESERVING HISTORY

[@deniaridley]

You're so right. And now after 14 years!

[@josemoody1743]

probably most of them are dead 😮

[@EyeLean5280]

For more than a thousand years? I'd say for over two thousand years. One could even say for over three thousand years.

[@gettymuseum]

@lorenzofraga Thank you!

[@Lucky-zu4mc]

What a great video! Thank you very much for sharing! God bless you!

[@yeye01189329]

Lucky 😇

[@CatherineSTodd]

Dave, no need to be so rude. I have heard the term "signatures" used myself. Thomas, I am apologizing for Dave's boorish behavior as I don't believe he will. This surely does not belong on such an interesting and educational video. Thanks to the Getty museum for posting them.

[@evanmcgee2054]

I want more of this but in a hour long video

[@CatherineSTodd]

J. Paul Getty Museum, who has created your wonderful and informative videos? They are some of the best I've seen.

[@JeandePierre]

They are only referred to as "signatures" in the printed-book world, not manuscripts. With MSS, "signatures" means something different.

[@Sirchud68]

I love books!!!

[@TheCodexCalixtinus]

Thank you for this source.

[@Semper_Iratus]

Thank you for this content.

[@zethron1173]

Very well.put together

[@TechMore887]

Very useful and important content, highly appreciated.

[@Isaac-gh5ku]

I wonder if these medieval scribers are paid well given how laborous and time-consuming making a book are.

[@YoureSpotOnWithThat]

Dear Getty,
Thanks for posting.
.
1:34 "But if a book is not bound its folios can seem out of order"
.
The whole idea of a book, or authoritative record of an event is to reduce ignorance and confusion in the reader or the community.
.
Before recoding events folk had to rely on witness or hearsay.
.
"its folios can seem out of order"
Would not have been detected by any reader in those days; connecting one text idea with another is sophisticated, beyond most readers.
.
Cheers.
from,
del-boy.

[@a_d_creations2369]

Woah this video was 12 years ago?

[@Themaneatingpuppies]

great animation

[@MyNameIsKneoReal]

Nice

[@meenghosh245]

The people had great artistic sence

[@timothyfreeman97]

Sancte Catherine, Ora pro nobis ✝️🇻🇦🕊

[@sus.4319]

nice

[@boxersailor]

Hmm, thanks.

[@homerbenadryl4859]

book pages didnt exist until the printing press

[@ajaysivaramakrishnan7283]

1/9798

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Wtf

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