Non-vitriolic Iron Gall Ink
Egypt
7th Century
Source: Claudia Colini, “I tried it and it is really good”: Replicating Recipes of Arabic Black Inks. In: Manuscript Cultures, 2021. Brill.
Recipe Details
Ingredients
iron filings, nails, tannins
Preparation Steps
This ink was theorized as one of the first steps in the development of ferrogallic inks. It is made with iron filings or nails instead of the more common vitriol (p. 146).
Original Recipe Text
This ink was theorized as one of the first steps in the development of ferrogallic inks. It is made with iron filings or nails instead of the more common vitriol (p. 146).
Evidence
"several fragments dating from the 7th to the 10th century presented inks in which only iron and a small amount of manganese were identified using XRF, while copper and zinc, often associated with iron in vitriols, [were absent]"
Remarks
The absence of copper and zinc (common impurities in mineral vitriol) suggests the use of metallic iron (filings or nails) rather than vitriol salts. This represents an early stage of iron-gall ink evolution (p. 146).
Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionIron and manganese
Analytical Techniques
XRF
X-Ray Fluorescence
Certainty Level
Confirmed
Instrumentally Verified
Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
Paper TypeParchment
ColorBlack
RegionEgypt
Approx. Year650
Source Information
AuthorClaudia Colini, “I tried it and it is really good”: Replicating Recipes of Arabic Black Inks. In: Manuscript Cultures, 2021. Brill.
CollectionCoptic manuscripts
Language
N/A
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