changeability in the dates of manuscripts

objective: in the colophon of every manuscript there is a date which indicates of the time when it has been written. sometimes these colophon dates change into another date through a slight manipulation. sometimes some dates have the potential of changing into another date, either because of passage of time or due to the scribe’s method of writing. this issue creates a problem for cataloguers, librarians and editors, consequently their readings lead to an erroneous understanding of the date. therefore, it’s essential to gain knowledge about various dimensions of dates of such potential, because it helps us gain knowledge about the correct dates and also in chronological categorization of manuscripts. the present paper investigates the nature of such changeability and means to identify them. methodology: a literature survey method was used. findings: due to a host of reasons such as minor alteration, passage of time or illegibility of handwriting or even the style of writing the date changes to another date. this occurs either at the time of writing, after the writing or even during listing or proof reading. keywords: date, changeability, counterfeit