By Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Erik Kwakkel

Go on, judge a book by its sound. The thinner the parchment, the higher the pitch—and the price.

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By Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Erik Kwakkel

Angular or rounded? Medieval script reveals not only what the author wrote, but when and where the book was made.

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By Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Erik Kwakkel

This 1000-year-old math primer is nothing fancy, but it took months for a scribe to make.

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By Dr. Kathleen Doyle, The British Library, Dr. Steven Zucker

The “cross-carpet” pages of this early 8th-century manuscript weave together birds, knots, spirals—and the Cross.

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By Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Claire Breay, The British Library

One of the oldest surviving bibles was made in England but has clear visual ties to traditions from the ancient Mediterranean.

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By Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Kathleen Doyle, The British Library

Expressive, emotional, and energetic, the Utrecht Psalter is not what you expect in a book written 1200 years ago.

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By Dr. Nancy Ross, Dr. Jennifer Awes Freeman

This expressive illumination depicts St. Matthew at work. He juggles a stylus in one hand and an ink horn in the other.

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By Dr. Nancy Ross, Dr. Steven Zucker

Few medieval book covers survive. This bejeweled example depicts the crucified Christ and comes from Charlemagne’s workshop.

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By Dr. Ronnie Perelis, Dr. Steven Zucker

This Hebrew book copies an Arabic text that itself began life as a work of classical Greek philosophy.

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By Dr. Massumeh Farhad, Freer Gallery of Art, Dr. Steven Zucker

Alexander, the Mongols, and the great epic of Iran.

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By Dr. Christa Clarke

This 15th century manuscript is based on Egyptian Coptic sources, but its creators imbued it with local flair.

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By Dr. Bryan C. Keene

What do we mean by a global Middle Ages (or medieval period)?

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