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| [split] The Strange Thing on 116v |
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Posted by: bi3mw - 29-10-2017, 05:22 PM - Forum: Marginalia
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Looking at the "strange thing" on folio 116v, I wonder if maybe an oven is shown. The side view of an oven is illustrated in the Washington Haggadah ( You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. ). Matzo is baked, a bread made from unleavened dough. Eating this bread, as well as eating an "immaculate" lamb all up, is part of the Passover Seder in Judaism ( You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. , Yehuda, Rothschild Haggadah, Northern Italy, c. 1450 ).
In the Christian tradition it was ( and still is ) customary to make different bakery products at Easter, but there is no fixed recipe. Accordingly diverse are these products. In German-speaking regions for example, there are many regional (early modern high German) names for this (ger.) "Gebildbrot": greding, gredmich, gredman or gredling....
Easter lambs were still slaughtered in the late Middle Ages, but mostly in the Greek Orthodox Tradition. - Illustrations of the Bible also show the preparation of a lamb ( see image no. 3, Historien Bibel, Germany, between 1375 and 1400, MS M.268, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. ). These ovens have no similarity to "the thing" on f116v.
![[Image: pessach.png]](http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/mwille2/VMS/pessach.png)
Edit: The man on image no. 2 has a prominent goiter caused by iodine deficiency. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is an explanation ( Kohn, Rachael, The Washington Haggadah by Joel ben Simeon: a Fifteenth Century Manuscript from the Library of Congress, The Australian Journal of Jewish Studies, January 1, 2012 ).
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| Central European origin |
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Posted by: ReneZ - 29-10-2017, 11:13 AM - Forum: Provenance & history
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Quote:... in the late 1990s when this rather silly 'central European' storyline was first produced ...
The "Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in The United States and Canada", by Seymour De Ricci, with the assistance of W. J. Wilson, was first published in 1937.
In vol. II, on pp.1845-1848 it describes the MSs included in "The estate of Wilfrid M. Voynich", New York.
Entry nr. 8 has:
Quote:8. Cipher ms. Vel. (date uncertain, authorities hesitate between the XIIIth and XVth c.; we suppose it to be not much older than 1500),
[...skipped...]
The country of origin seems to be some part of Central Europe.
[...skipped...]
It was later in the Collegio Romano, in Rome,
[...lots skipped...]
This description was almost certainly provided by Anne Nill. This is just 7 years after the death of Voynich, and in a way marks a break with the Roger Bacon tradition.
In the Beinecke library there is a carbon copy of a letter from Nill to De Ricci giving an earlier version of this description which is much shorter. At the time, Nill was working for W.J. Wilson, and compiling the index of this catalogue. Wilson was personally interested in this MS.
In 1937, Nill received a letter from the UK shop that was just being closed. This included the paper slips with the reference to the private library of P.Beckx, which gave away the origin of the collection of MSs that included the Voynich MS.
The above text, which includes this connection, must have been a last-minute change, made possible by the direct connection of Anne Nill with the publication.
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| There are 131 large plant folios in the Voynich Manuscript |
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Posted by: VViews - 26-10-2017, 09:37 AM - Forum: Approved blocks
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There are 129 full-page plant illustration pages, aka Large Plant pages) in the Voynich Manuscript.
These are as follows:
Quire 1-7:
on f1v-56v (109 illustrations, f12 is missing)
Quire 8:
on 57r, 65r & v, 66v (4 illustrations)
Quire 15:
on 87r & v; 90r1, r2, v1, v2 (6 illustrations)
Quire 17:
on 93r-96v (10 illustrations)
Among these, there are a few instances where two plants are depicted on a single page.
These are:
f27r, f40v, f42r, f43v, f87v.
There is also the ambiguous f35v, which could be two plants, or one.
Another way of looking at this total then, is to say there are 134 large plants depicted in the Voynich Manuscript (or 135 if we count You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. as two plants).
But it is unclear to me whether some of these pages that show two plants are meant to depict two stages of growth of the same plant or two distinct plants.
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| There are 45 containers in the Small Plants section |
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Posted by: VViews - 26-10-2017, 07:18 AM - Forum: Approved blocks
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The Small Plants section, actually composed of two groups of folios (88r-99r1 and 99r-102v1) features a total of 45 containers.
The breakdown of containers and nearby items is the following:
88r
1) 5 items
2) 4 items
3) 3 items
88v-r2
1) 4 items
2) 3 items
3) 3 items
4) 4 items
5) 3 items
6) 3 items
7) 4 items
8) 2 items
9) 6 items
10) 4 items
89v2
1) 5 items
2) 3 items
3) 4 items
89v1
1) 3 items
2) 3 items
99r
1) 12 items
2) 7 items
3) 7 items
4) 1 item
99v
1) 9 items
2) 6 items
3) 5 items
4) 1 item
100r
1) 11 items
2) 5 items
100v-101r2
1) 13 items
2)10 items
3) 10 items
4) 9 items
101v2
1) 9 items
2) 9 items
3) 10 items
101v1-102r2
1) 1 item
2) 1item
3) 2 items
4) 3 items (or 2 +frog)
5) 5 items
6) 2 items
102v2
1) 14 items (or 13 + cube)
2) 5 items
102v1
1) 5 items
2) 3 items
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| Ars Alembica |
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Posted by: R. Sale - 14-10-2017, 11:35 PM - Forum: Voynich Talk
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A distillation of ideas:
Recently there were several discussions and comments about the art of distillation, both in a physical, mechanistic sense and also in a more investigative and methodological interpretation. Distillation is a method of physical separation, using heat, of the more volatile materials, done within an enclosed system that allows for the collection and condensation of the distillate. Ideologically, distillation is a process of selection based on a set of criteria determined by the investigator. We all do it. In any proposition, we all select the best examples to demonstrate a point of discussion. How else can facts be established? Of course, the problem in VMs research often comes, as in a recent publication, where facts are said to be established, when they clearly are not.
The process of selection in such cases may be referred to as “cherry picking”. That is the presentation of a few examples, which may be random, that follow a particular set of criteria, which is otherwise unable to produce useful data. A few scattered words “translated” do not constitute a valid method of interpretation. Failed selective processes are sometimes referred to a category called: Garbage in; garbage out (GIGO). If you put garbage into a process of investigation, you won’t be getting cherries out. Furthermore, this does not address the significance of potential flaws in the nature of the investigative, selection process. You can put good VMs data in and get garbage out. The selection process needs to produce more than examples of tautological validity. The examples need to have a functional aspect that opens the possibility for further investigation.
VMs investigation has a long history of apparent failure. All attempts to read it have failed. All investigations of its origins have come up short. The proposed examples for translation are not really cherries at all. The selections were apparently flawed. The process of selection may not be valid. Nevertheless, taking the conclusion that all investigations based on specific selection of examples are necessarily invalidated would be, in fact, a flawed syllogism. Nothing requires that the process of distillation begin with garbage. And rather than have the specific process of selection be determined by the investigator, as happens more often in linguistic investigation, let it be determined by the independent sources of real, historical representations.
Distillation is a process of selection. The art of distillation is in knowing the proper materials and in finding the correct process for their selection. This is, perhaps, best illustrated by an example – and let that selection be one of the more significant, recent discoveries; the comparison (by E. Velinska in 2014) of VMs You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. with the Oresme version of the cosmos. Let’s briefly examine that comparison.
The cosmos illustrated in the Oresme diagram is concerned with the presence of the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. The central sphere is divided; half goes to water and a quarter each to earth and air. This sphere is then surrounded by stars. This type of sphere has other examples, but in combination with the starry background, there is an increased similarity between the VMs and Oresme examples. There is an alternate structure for medieval cosmic representations based on concentric circles for all the moon, sun, planets, and stars representing the music of the spheres.
In the comparison of the VMs drawing with the Oresme illustration, the similarity of the central sphere is good, the comparison of the starry field is fair, the correspondence of the outer boundary is poor. That is, it appears to be a poor comparison on a strictly visual basis. In the comparison of the Oresme and VMs You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. selections, what is the weakest area of comparison? It is the elaborate, circular, outer ring of the Oresme cloud band and the plain nebuly line of the VMs representation. [The VMs also has curved, spoke-like banners connecting to a larger, circular band, all filled in with written text.]
The weakness of the VMs diagram is the absence of a cloud band similar to that of the Oresme original. Such a cloud band was later discovered by D. Hoffmann in the VMs central rosette. The basic structure of the VMs cloud band, which is based on an alternating scallop-shell pattern, is very similar to the Oresme original. It even has blue paint. If it were possible to combine this cloud band from the central rosette with the sphere and stars of VMs f68v, this would greatly strengthen the similarities of this comparison. They are not connected physically, but can they be connected ideologically? The parts are there that would represent a copy of the Oresme version of the cosmos more closely than any other historical example presently known. Is ideological connection a possibility?
Here is where the ars comes in. It is in the choice of selections. VMs You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is not some anachronistic view of the Andromeda galaxy. Such proposals reveal a lack of basic understanding of medieval scientific works such as Oresme and the other sources. But that is how the process goes if we start with the wrong selections. The ars is one of two things. It is either a strict matter of creation by the investigator without intent and/or content in the source. Or it is a matter of intentional construction on the page by some historical source, a person or persons who produced the VMs.
While some will automatically negate the possibility of such an ideological connection, I would say that the matter can not be determined on the basis of a single example. Both of the necessary elements to reconstruct a most interesting, cosmic illustration do exist in the VMs. It is a question of whether the potential connection is present. So rather than one example of such a connection, here are four questions that open various inquiries into similar situations.
Can Oresme’s cosmos be reconstructed with VMs parts? [As above]
Do some of the tub patterns from VMs Pisces and Aries pages correspond with traditional heraldic insignia?
What is the historical origin of the Roman Catholic tradition of the cardinal’s red galero?
Can heraldic canting confirm historical identification in the VMs?
All answers are based on tradition and historical information prior to 1400. All answers are found in the VMs illustrations, but have been visually altered, separated, hidden or obfuscated in some way, while at the same time secretly retaining the standard positioning and confirming their identity through proper placement according to tradition, similar design, essential color and so on. In each case some trickery was used. In each case the construction was intentional. The radial versus non-radial interpretation of the orientation of two blue-striped tub patterns on VMs White Aries is a prime example. It is a clear example of the use of an optical illusion.
When conducted properly, distillation will normally produce a more concentrated solution. No pretence has been made to suggest that this solution is sufficiently concentrated to crystallize at present. However the process itself is surely not inherently flawed, as some apparently perceive it to be. Many selections may have failed, but specific selection is not ineluctably tied to failure. It is simply a fact that the results derived are highly dependent on the specific nature of the starting materials. Garbage in will always give you garbage out. Garbage in will not give you roses. However roses in will give you rose water. We don’t have to put garbage in. Surely it is better to use VMs images that can be tied to historical illustrations and traditions – like Oresme’s cosmos. Better yet in the pairings of the VMs Zodiac’s Pisces through Cancer. It’s hard to get garbage to pair up like that. Perhaps a container full of Nikes washed ashore. No emotive exhalation will change it. If it is assumed that the VMs author has provided this sort of hidden information, a trail of breadcrumbs, does it also have to follow that these are glow-in-the-dark breadcrumbs that are plain for all to see? Clearly in some parts the clues are paired. That should work in the daylight. However, if an investigator can neither name or identify the heraldic fur of papelonny, it is unlikely to be discovered or recognized among the VMs examples – thus putting the matter of heraldic canting totally beyond that investigator’s reach. Productive distillation can only proceed if the proper materials can be found.
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| Theorems on letters |
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Posted by: Davidsch - 14-10-2017, 01:44 PM - Forum: Analysis of the text
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DS Theorem one on 13.10.2017
Any translation attempt that includes the EVA letter [P] or the EVA letter [F] and
converts it directly in any other character or group of characters of another language, is wrong.
That being posed, the first word on f1r can not start with the EVA letter [P] being translated into a Latin P.
DS Theorem two. 14.10.2017: The Eva letter [P] and Eva letter [F] are a signalling letter.
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| First words on folio 1r |
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Posted by: -JKP- - 13-10-2017, 07:54 PM - Forum: Analysis of the text
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Patrick Lockerby claims on his blog that the first words in the Voynich Manuscript are these words (which he says are Latin):
Peractum es con itaque …
He reasserted this translation on the ninja forum on this thread:
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On August 2, 2017, I pointed out that his translation is not Latin, that it only looks vaguely like Latin mixed with French:
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Despite the fact that this is clearly demonstrable as not being Latin, Lockerby again asserted on Nick Pelling's blog on October 13th, 2017 that his translation is Latin.
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So he continues to believe and to promote the idea that he has created a Latin translation, even though there is no Latin (not even fractured Latin or note-format Latin) in his translation.
Some history... is this an original idea?
First of all, the idea that the VMS is abbreviated Latin is not unique to Lockerby or Gibbs, not even close. The idea is very very old because the text has many Latin characters mixed with Latin abbreviation symbols. In fact, that's why Vwords like "doary" get translated as "Taurus". It is because the "9" character at the end, in Latin, would be translated as "-us" or "-um". I've posted about these Latin abbreviations many times on my blogs prior to Lockerby's and Gibb's translations and I don't consider the idea to be a "discovery" because there's still no evidence that the text expands into intelligible Latin and Latin abbreviations are common knowledge to those who are familiar with medieval scribal conventions.
Yulia May ("searcher" on our forum) made a very creditable attempt to try to expand the text into Latin long before Lockerby and Gibbs, and May has done the best job I've seen so far (May has knowledge of Latin that both Gibbs and Lockerby do not) and even May discovered that it's difficult to prove if or what might actually be Latin and that the resulting text is unusually, exceedingly repetitious. May has not only done a better job than other claimants, but is also willing to look critically at the translation and say, "Something doesn't quite add up here."
Here is some of the discussion of the translation:
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We have other Latin scholars in the Voynich community who have not been able to turn the VMS into intelligible, substantiatable Latin, so I'm not sure why researchers with little or no knowledge of Latin think they can do something Latin scholars with a strong interest in the VMS AND good knowledge of scribal abbreviations have so far not done.
I have also repeated many times, both here and on my blog, that Latin characters and abbreviations were used in many languages, not just Latin. To assume that Latin abbreviations and ligatures automatically means the underlying language is Latin also shows a lack of knowledge of medieval scribal conventions.
The first language I (and many other Voynich researchers) tried to extract from the VMS text was Latin. Not only was it the lingua franca of the middle ages, but the glyphs are primarily Latin. It's not a new idea, it's an old one that so far hasn't panned out, but I'd still like to discuss the first few words in the Voynich Manuscript since Lockerby today repeated his assertion that the first words can be read as, "Peractum es con itaque …"
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| Cryptologic History panel Oct. 19, 2017 |
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Posted by: -JKP- - 10-10-2017, 04:34 AM - Forum: News
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Richard SantaColoma is scheduled for a pre-20th Century cryptology panel at the Symosium on Cryptologic History (Milestones, Memories, and Momentum), Thurs. Oct. 19th at the Kossiakoff Centery, Laurel, Maryland.
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![[Image: image.jpg?q=f116v-864-246-40-60]](https://voynich.ninja/extractor/image.jpg?q=f116v-864-246-40-60)