Palm Leaf Manuscripts

[Quant.Geek]

Some busy work trying to get the manuscripts scanned.  This is the first step and then the images needs to be cleaned and prepped so that I get a complete PDF with transcription and translation in Javanese and English. This particular manuscript had a Guang Xu tong bao/Boo-guwang (1875-1908) cash coin attached.  Unfortunately, it was really worn down...

[THCoins]

Great work !

Anthony

[eurocoin]

Very interesting. I haven't seen something like this before. It will be interesting to know more about the further steps of the process, and further information that is likely to become available.

[Quant.Geek]

Here are some basic info on palm leaf manuscripts in general.  Once I get this analyzed, I'll follow up with some more information:

Palm leaves were used as the primary source of writing materials in South and Southeast Asia for hundreds of years. In India, it was the primary writing material for thousands of years. Each palm leaf could last about 500-600 years before its contents were copied over.

The leaves from various types of palm trees were harvested, cooked, and then dried out. Once that was done, it was cut to size. Each leaf was etched with an iron stylus leaving groves:



The etchings produce the following on the dried leaf:



Once the palm leaf has been etched, lamp black (a mixture of soot and oil) is applied onto the leaf and then wiped away leaving the lamp black embedded into the groves of the etching. This produces the crisp writing on the leaf. Note that the author, in this case, decided to only reveal the top portion of the leaf as opposed to the whole leaf:



Below is a scribe using the stylus to etch onto the leaves:



Holes were added so that the leaves could be bundled together to form a complete manuscript and finally, wooden boards were added to protect the leaves from damage:

[eurocoin]

Have you been able to find anything further about the content of the manuscript?

[Quant.Geek]

Not yet...Been so busy with other things of late, especially work.  However, the collection just keeps growing and I am now really behind. A small set since I last posted.  It is far larger now...

Three 19th Century Palm Leaf Manuscripts from Odisha/Orissa, Eastern India



3rd century BCE-4th century CE Egyptian Papyrus in Demotic Script