Manuscriptology is another word for
codicology, namely the study of history and literature through the use of hand-written documents.
The term is in use particularly among scholars of South Asian cultural history because many South Asian manuscripts are not
codices
The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...
in the strict sense of the word. That is to say, South Asian manuscripts are typically written on unbound sheets of paper or palm leaves, in a landscape format.
Vellum
Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anima ...
or
parchment
Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves, and goats. It has been used as a writing medium for over two millennia. Vellum is a finer quality parchment made from the skins o ...
- typical writing material used in the European codex - are not used in India since the introduction of leather - the material used for vellum or parchment - are considered impure in Indian traditions
There are exceptions. The codex format is used fo
manuscripts in Kashmir, for example where the concept of the manuscript book was influenced from European models transmitted by Islamic culture.
See also
*
Palaeography
Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") is the study of historic writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts, including the analysi ...
*
Philology
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
References
External links
* http://www.tamilheritage.org/manulogy/palmgy.html
* http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/44day-workshop-on-manuscriptology-and-palaeography-begins/article305105.ece
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110226230151/http://www.tamiluniversity.ac.in/english/links/studies.html
Archaeological sub-disciplines
Codicology
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