The practice of writing inside an Egyptian monastic settlement: preliminary material characterisation of the inks used on Coptic manuscripts from the Monastery of Apa Apollo at Bawit

Abstract Over the last few years, Federal Institute for material research (BAM, Berlin) together with Centre Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC, University Hamburg) have initiated a systematic investigation black inks produced from Late Antiquity to Middle Ages (ca. fourth century CE–fourteenth/fifteenth centuries CE), aimed primarily at extending and complementing findings previous sporadic studies. Part this has focused on Egyptian Coptic manuscripts, present preliminary study is one its outputs. It centres corpus 45 manuscripts—43 papyri 2 ostraca—preserved Palau-Ribes Roca-Puig collections in Barcelona. The manuscripts come Monastery Apa Apollo Bawit, largest monastic settlements Egypt between Early Islamic Period (sixth–eighth CE). composition their was investigated situ using near-infrared reflectography (NIRR) X-ray fluorescence (XRF). analyses determined that were written different types ink: pure carbon ink; ink containing iron; mixed carbon, polyphenols metallic elements; iron-gall ink. variety used documentary texts seems reflect articulate administrative system monastery Bawit. This reveals that, contrast documents, mostly carbon-based inks, literary biblical frequent reuse papyrus paper certain categories documents may suggest ephemeral since they easy erase by abrasion.