# # Identification: # # * Title: "First page" # * Page: f1r = AA (Rene) = p001 (Stolfi) # * Folio: f1 # * Panels: f1r # * Bifolio: bA1 = f1+f8 # * Quire: A (Rene) = I (Beinecke) # # Page 1 of the British Library photocopies. # Levitov figure 17, page 93. # # Attributes: # # * Language: A (Currier) # * Hand: 1 (Currier) # * Subsets: T (Rene), unk (Stolfi) # * Subject: unknown (text only). # * Colors: red(weirdos) (Reeds), red(weirdos,extraneous_letters) (Rene) # # Description: # # The page contains four paragraphs (units 程P1},程P2},程P3},程P4}) # with 4.6, 2.4, 9.5, 5.5 lines, respectively, each followed by a # short right-justified title (units 程T1},程T2},程T3},程T4}). # # Paragraphs 2 and 3 begin with big "weirdo" doodles, very unlike # normal Voynichese letters. The first (EVA &252) looks like a # capital K lying on it side, with the vertical bar at the bottom. # The second (EVA &253) looks like the first, with an extra # squiggly line rising from between the two "horns". The two symbols # are drawn or painted with flaring strokes ending in swallowtail # serifs. # # There is an inch-wide stain along the right margin, running from # the top to the bottom. About the upper right corner, Rene # reports [4 Apr 1999]: "The '2' with underscore near the top right # is written in the same ink as the two doodles ... at the start of # para's 2 and 3. Next to that is what looks like a '9' but which # really is the letter 'a' with a 'b' beneath it. These are not part # of the erased alphabet lists below it. They are in lighter red. # ... It's not the same red as the '2' left of the 'a' [or] the two # doodles". # # Within the right marging area there seem to be three columns of # letters ("key like sequences", unit 程L}) which are barely visible # in the reproductions. Jim Reeds writes [15 Jul 1994]: "The # leftmost [column] is the ordinary alphabet, lower case italic # hand, a through z. I could not check for the presence of every # letter (I'm not sure about j, for instance) but a, b, c, ... o, p, # q, r, s, ... y, z are pretty clear. Next to those are very spotty # frags of Voynich letters. I could make out EVA next to a, # next to c, next to y, and one of the gallows letters somewhere # near the q, r, s range. [...] The 3d column seems to be 1 off from # the first: italic miniscules, r next to s, and so on. More is # visible in UV shots than Petersen shows." # # Michael Roe [4] says that I and J are both present, as well as V # and W. # # Rene adds [04 Apr 1994]: "Next to 'a' is EVA . Next to 'c' is # . is below 'h'. Of the roman alphabet, one can see a-f, # h, o-r, u-v and z (more like zeta). Of the shifted alphabet two # columns to the right I could only see 'p' and 'q' (aligned with # 'o' and 'p' respectively)." # # There seems to be faint unreadable text at the top of the page, # apparently in cursive handwriting. # # There are some faint scribbles in the bottom margin. More details # are visible in the photographic copies made by Voynich. # UV photos show it to be "Jacobj a Tepenece" [3]. Rene # reports [4 Apr 1999]: "Below the Tepenec signature are a 'W' (left # margin) and what looks like two 7's below 'en' (of 'Tepenece'). # These do not show up on the [UV-]illuminated images." # # Comments: # # The page layout suggests four quotes with attributions, or signed # endorsements. Denis Mardle [10 Feb 97] suggested they may describe # the four parts of the book. Rayman Malekei [20 Nov 1997] thinks # that the paragraphs were added at different times. # # The faint scribbling at the top may be a stain. # # The signature in the bottom margin was identified by Voynich as # that of Jacobus de Tepenecz, as reported by Mary D'Imperio. # Gabriel [18 Sep 1997] suggests that the signature may have been # written with invisible ink. He says thatsome bits of the signature # are visible in contrast-enhanced scans of that page (if one is # told where to look). # # Brumbaugh reportedly claims that there was a date in the upper # right corner of f1r before it was obliterated by the application # of chemicals (intended to reveal faded writing). # # Rene adds [04 Apr 1999], about the red 'a' and 'b' above the two # columns: "I wonder if these are from the original writer." # # The EVA claimed to be next to "c" in the right margin is # rather misshapen. Also the synchronization of the three columns # seems rather imperfect. # # D'Imperio says that the "weirdo" characters EVA &252/&253 are in # bright red ink; confirmed by Glen Claston [20 Feb 1998] and Jim # Reeds [03 Mar 1998]. # # Rene [28 Jul 1997] found a medieval astrological diagram [1], in # Greek, where the weirdo EVA &252 is used as a symbol for Aries, # which is "kruos" or "kryos" in Greek. He conjectures that EVA &253 # may be a variation of the same. But he cautions that the author # may have just borrowed the symbol for its looks. # # The top weirdo &252 has a peculiar beak at the left side of the # base. Could there be some text under the red paint? # # Rene [1 Feb 1999] thinks that &253 resembles the old Greek Virgo # symbol drawn on its side, but he is not sure. # # Stolfi suggested [07 Aug 1998] that the symbols may be # abbreviations for "Koenig" and "KoenigiN" --- i.e. "K" and # "K"-with-squiggle. (How desperate can you get?) # # References: # # [1] Codex Taurinensis C VII 15 (author anonymous, no date avaliable). # http://www.ficom.net/members/ditch/secret.htm # # [2] John Grove # http://members.tripod.com/~VoynichMs/Prefix.htm # # [3] Catalog entry for MS 408. # Beinecke Library, Yale. # # [4] Michel Roe's Voynich site, page about dating the manuscript. # http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/mrr/voynich/date.html # # Last edited on 1999-04-22 22:39:36 by stolfi