New Post: "I Do Listen to the Experts. Do YOU?"

[proto57]

But again I appreciate such input and rebuttal to my own ideas. For instance, in this case, you have refreshed my memory on some points, caused me to consider others, and made me realize I ought to spend more time on this issue. For one thing, I am exited to experiment on a scrap of 16th century manuscript parchment I have (it fell out of the binding of my Erasmus Bible, it was used as filler). I'd like to put my own notion to the test: Can I replicate the damage seen on Voynich f1r? I also ordered a copy of the 1966 Vinland Conference, something I have really wanted a copy of...


Rich

For the sake of completeness on the topics discussed on this thread, yesterday I received my copy of the 1971 publication, "Proceedings of the Vinland Map Conference" (edited by Wilcomb E. Washburn). On pages 31 and 32, in "The Case is not Settled", Robert S. Lopez writes,

"It is not beyond the power of a good paleographer to imitate perfectly any medieval handwriting on blank sheets of genuinely old parchment and with ink freshly made from a medieval recipe. Such ink cannot be artificially aged on paper, but the Vinland map is on parchment, where fresh ink can look old if it is skillfully discolored. It is still easier to produce wormholes with a hot wire or with live worms."

Lopez's footnote to the above, "This is not merely an assumption. I know an Italian paleographer whose hobby is to forge medieval script on authentic parchment and with ink made from medieval recipes; he does it for his and his friends' amusement, but I for one would be unable to detect the forgery, were it for his intention to deceive me. And I have heard from reliable sources of an English antiquarian who has a stable of live worms."

As I also wrote, the tools of the forger include(d) many methods of faking wormholes (bookworms, whatever) of all types, and often very convincingly. Forgers have used awls, drills, wires, and even live worms. So Lopez's mention is far from solitary. But I was curious as to what was said on the subject at the Vinland Conference, and now we know. As usual, though, it piques my interest still further in this subject, and I hope to look into Lopez's archives to see if he left further and more detailed information on his knowledge of the use of live "bookworms" to forge. And who the heck was this "English antiquarian"? Obviously later than Voynich's time, by many decades... but this dropped hint is very intriguing to me.