Monday’s class was extremely interesting. Not only did we get to see illuminated manuscripts, but we also got to view papyrus. Both of these items were very unique, and I had not seen anything like them before. I do have to say that the papyrus was a completely different texture than the illuminated manuscript paper. It was an eye-opening experience to feel the parchment. I did not realize that it would be so thick and heavy. Then again, it is made from animal skin. Furthermore, it was cool to see the illuminations and text themselves.
It is one thing to view these manuscripts on a projector, but it is a very different experience to physically interact with them. It is incredible that these manuscripts have survived so long. Also on that note, I was not expecting to be able to touch them. All of the other pages we have seen before this visit to the library restricted us from touching them. It is hard to believe that our hands coming into contact with these pages would not deteriorate them. But I am not complaining, because the experience was amazing. It is almost like I was thrown back in time and viewed these manuscripts like any other book I would regularly read.
