iron-gall ink

Ingredients

gallnuts, sap, bark extract, qanqantum, vitriol, hydrated iron (II) sulphate, copper, zinc

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The historical context cited by the authors (p. 225) includes a description by the Provençal rabbi Menaḥem ham-Meʾiri, where ink is produced by boiling gallnuts (עפצים) in water and adding śǝrap̄ (sap or bark extract) as a binding agent. Blackening agents, specifically 'qanqantum' (vitriol/metallic compound), are then added to make the ink valid for ritual use. The scientific study identifies two main variations of the ink based on their metallic fingerprint: one with trace amounts of zinc (columns 55 and 63) and another with large amounts of zinc (columns 163 and 165), suggesting the scribe likely changed batches of vitriol during the writing process (p. 239).

Evidence

"The ink response to near-infrared light suggests that all the inks studied in these tests belong to the iron-gall type."

Remarks

The Bologna Scroll (Rotolo 2) is the oldest known complete Torah scroll, dated to 1150-1225 through carbon-14 testing (p. 223). Analytical results from XRF measurements on seventeen samples distinguish between inks with different elemental compositions. The main text shows a transition from low-zinc to high-zinc ink (up to 40% intensity relative to iron). Marginal corrections were also analyzed; while some match the main ink, one unique correction on column 62 was executed in a copper-rich iron-gall ink, while others on columns 163 and 165 contained almost no zinc or copper (p. 240). The divine name ('God's name') on column 55 was found to be identical in composition to the main ink of that column, indicating it was written at the same time (p. 240).