iron-gall ink

Ingredients

vitriol, galls, copper, zinc, manganese

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The study references manuscripts containing ink recipes found within the Cairo Genizah (Table 2.2, p. 49). These typically involve the use of iron vitriol (containing various metallic impurities such as manganese, zinc, and copper) mixed with tannin-rich sources like oak galls (p. 49). Table 2.3 (p. 51) explicitly links extant recipe instructions with specific analytical results found in Genizah fragments.

Evidence

"Fingerprint values w(i)/w(Fe) (i = Cu or Mn) obtained by XRF analyses, showing the characteristic fingerprints of different iron-gall inks used by Yefet b. David"

Remarks

The research focuses on characterizing inks through elemental 'fingerprints'—specifically the ratios of copper, manganese, or zinc relative to iron (Section 3.2, p. 97). This allows for the identification of different ink batches used by specific scribes, such as Yefet b. David (Fig 4.18) or Sahlān b. Abraham (Fig 4.21). The signatures of community leaders often utilized distinct ink compositions compared to the main text body (p. 80).