The very first folio (folio 1r) seems to be the only folio in the entire cypher manuscript (except folio 65r) that does not contain the symbol resembling '4'.
The only exception is folio 65r which contains only 3 word tokens and a depiction of an unknown plant.
It appears for the first time in folio 1v (just once, followed by 'o') and after that is found multiple times in all subsequent folios (except folio 65r).
The observation that the entire folio 1r can be filled with word tokens without said symbol could indicate that it has a specific meaning which is probably described in folio 1v.
(05-01-2025, 05:33 PM)Dobri Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The very first folio (folio 1r) seems to be the only folio in the entire cypher manuscript (except folio 65r) that does not contain the symbol resembling '4'.
Also f68v1 You are not allowed to view links.
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(05-01-2025, 05:33 PM)Dobri Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The observation that the entire folio 1r can be filled with word tokens without said symbol could indicate that it has a specific meaning which is probably described in folio 1v.
I like the idea that the author was experimenting with various ways to write in Voynichese and made some minor adjustments initially while working on the first few pages. Given the amount of text on You are not allowed to view links.
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Login to view. and f1v, only one single 'q' is indeed remarkable, especially considering that it's not a normal qo, but qo with a macron-like sign over it.
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I can imagine the author started writing a t or p, but stopped after completing the left part and added an o instead and then decided this is a good combination
E.g., a t a little earlier on the same page has a very q-like left half.
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attachment=9671]
(05-01-2025, 05:53 PM)nablator Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Also f68v1 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. f71v f72r3 f72v3 f72v1.
Thanks, nablator. I see what you mean. The astronomy/astrology curcular diagrams you listed also do not contain the symbol '4' indeed.
Looking at this macron, is it possible that this was just a continuation of the horizontal bar of q, curling upwards and then to the left? There is no clear indication of this in the TIFFs, but overall shape looks somewhat plausible to me. So, basically, this started as a t/p and then the loop went too far leaving no space for the second vertical stroke and a 'q' was created.
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(05-01-2025, 06:05 PM)oshfdk Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....
E.g., a t a little earlier on the same page has a very q-like left half.
That is a nice observation, oshfdk. Perhaps this could be a way to embed '4o' as a gallow in a bench because the right half of the gallow resembles 'o'.
Note that during the 15th century the numeral 4 looked like the Voynich symbol representing the lowercase letter L in EVA.
For example, see the following image: You are not allowed to view links.
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Here are some old blog posts by JKP around numbers and Voynich glyphs that you may find interesting (including the number 4 and EVA l):
Here is an example of the numeral 4 shown as
l in the You are not allowed to view links.
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a subsequent later addition on the left-hand side with said numeral 4 shown as
q.
(01-03-2025, 03:49 PM)Dobri Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Here is an example of the numeral 4 shown as l in the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. from the late 13th century and
a subsequent later addition on the left-hand side with said numeral 4 shown as q.
So, on the left-hand side it's both 4-like 4s and 4-like 5s? Interesting, I think I've never seen them used together.