28-02-2021, 09:34 AM
Having read everyone's replies, (thanks to all), I have developed a theory about why the scribe chose to start at roughly 10 o'clock rather than 12, and it has to do with page rotation.
If the scribe wrote the text last, after the images and circles were drawn (which makes sense), it would stand to reason that he would start to write the text with the page in its 'upright' position. If he had started at 12 o'clock, he would have written one or two vords, before he needed to turn the page to carry on writing. If, however, he started at 10, he could easily have written a third of the circles circumference without ever having to turn the page. My hypothesis therefore is that the 10oclock start was done for ease of page rotation, and has no other significance. What do you think?
Also Emma, that sounds like an interesting avenue of research! But opinions differ on which scribe wrote what... do you have a personal preference for how many scribes there were and which sections they wrote?
If the scribe wrote the text last, after the images and circles were drawn (which makes sense), it would stand to reason that he would start to write the text with the page in its 'upright' position. If he had started at 12 o'clock, he would have written one or two vords, before he needed to turn the page to carry on writing. If, however, he started at 10, he could easily have written a third of the circles circumference without ever having to turn the page. My hypothesis therefore is that the 10oclock start was done for ease of page rotation, and has no other significance. What do you think?
Also Emma, that sounds like an interesting avenue of research! But opinions differ on which scribe wrote what... do you have a personal preference for how many scribes there were and which sections they wrote?