3.9.2 Literacy in the Middle Ages The Church was the main source of literacy during the Middle Ages. Before the printing press, every book had to be handwritten. Monks and sometimes nuns wrote, copied and decorated books by hand. These books were used to teach students. By copying them, they saved many classical texts from Greece and Rome, which were written on fragile parchments. Translating these texts into Latin made them more accessible, as Latin was widely read and understood. Many ancient ideas also came into Europe through the Moorish Arabs in Spain, who valued books and libraries. This gave them access to the ideas of many great ancient philosophers. 3.9.3 Illuminated manuscripts Creating a book, or manuscript, in medieval times was extremely laborious. It started with the preparation of the writing material (parchment) or its finer version (vellum). This was animal skin that was prepared by scrapping and stretching, until a smooth and durable surface was created. This was trimmed to the size needed. The scribe would write on the parchment using a quill and ink. The quill was a feather cut to a fine point and dipped in ink, which was made from some minerals or vegetable dye. Once the scribe finished writing, an illuminator would illustrate the text. These illuminations were as important, or even more important, than the words. Illuminators sketched and painted images beside the text, including decorated letters and illustrations. They used precious metals, dyes and minerals for colours, which are still beautiful today (see SOURCE3 fromthe Book of Kells , a gospel from medieval Ireland).
Later, the printing press was invented around 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany. This made illuminated manuscripts obsolete. The printing press allowed ideas to spread much faster, as books and pamphlets could be created quickly. Historians credit this spread of ideas with helping to start the Renaissance. See lesson 3.9 in Topic 3 Renaissance Italy for further information on the development of the printing press.
SOURCE3 An illuminated letter from the Book of Kells
80 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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