Cover page of the document

This legal document is covered in a palimpsest cover, or at least it would seem that way at first glance. The word, “Palimpsest,” is derived from a Greek root meaning, “scraped again,” or “Scraped Smooth.” ^[1] The primary use for this technique was for the purpose of re-using the limited writing materials that were available. This technique was not limited by median, as some cultures were known to have used wax-coated tablets, which were then scraped off and re-covered so as to write on them again. ^[2] However, since the cover of this document was never scraped or washed, the cover is not a true palimpsest.

There are two plausible explanations of why the author might have left the original text intact on the cover. The first explanation would be that the original text was re-purposed for aesthetic reasons. The text consists of two nearly perfect columns, and the original parchment was cut so that those columns were perfectly centered, leaving equal margins on the top, bottom, and a wide margin on the non-bound side. The original document was also rotated sideways prior to being cut for binding. It should be noted that the author cut clean through both marginal comments, as well as lines of the original text so as to keep the columns centered and visually appealing. For this reason, the original text may have been left as decoration on what would have otherwise been a bland cover.

The second, and more likely, explanation as to why the original text was left intact would be a simple matter of efficiency. The process of washing the parchment for reuse involved using a chemical concoction of lime, vitrol, or alum. ^[3] This process effectively removed much of the ink, but would have been very time consuming.  A lot of time and effort were also required for the process of scraping a thin layer off the top to remove the ink. ^[4] Along with being time consuming, the process of scraping would have also posed the risk of irreparably damaging the parchment if done improperly. It therefore seems likely that the original text of the cover may have been left intact simply to save time in the binding process. After all, it would have been much quicker to just turn a document sideways and bind it as the cover of the book than to go through a lengthily process to remove the ink prior to binding.

The text itself was written using a simplistic form of calligraphy. Red ink was used for headings; where as the body of the text was written in black ink. This was standard practice prior to the introduction of the printing press. ^[5] The author then proceeded to write the volume’s information over the original text, and in the margins. This renders some sections of the original text impossible to read.

The content of the document itself does not seem to be of any significance besides the fact that it was possibly used for decoration, and the calligraphy was very precise. However, one line translated from the cover reads, “malo impune possit offendi ac possit opponi,” which translates to – “ill or injured, and can safely be opposed to.” While this is only a partial excerpt from the text, it seems to indicate that the document was in relation to the law in some way. The fact that calligraphy was used to write this document indicates that it was originally of importance, as writing in calligraphy, especially in precise columns, was an extremely time consuming process. However, the reason that the parchment was harvested for the cover may have been because the original document had fallen out of relevance, and was recycled; a common practice during the period, as parchment was difficult and time consuming to manufacture. ^[6]