vitriolic iron-gall ink

Ingredients

iron sulfate, copper, manganese, zinc, tannins, gum arabic

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The primary ink used for the initial text is a vitriolic iron-gall ink (p. 4). XRF point analysis detected iron (Fe) as the major metallic component, with significant concentrations of copper (Cu) and trace amounts of manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) (p. 4). The presence of potassium (K) is attributed to the organic tannins derived from plant galls (p. 4). FTIR spectra confirmed the iron-gall nature with characteristic peaks at 1485, 1404, 1336, 1312, 1290, 753, 608, and 557 cm-1 (p. 7). Gum arabic was identified as the binder through a band at approximately 1376 cm-1 (p. 7).

Evidence

"XRF analysis indicates the presence of iron (Fe; Kα- 6.41, Kβ-7.05) as the main element in the ink of all three fragments, confirming the use of iron-gall ink (Fig. 4a). Additionally, variable amounts of copper (Cu; Kα- 8.05, Kβ-8.9) were found to be present in the ink, followed by lower amounts of manganese (Mn; Kα-5.90) and zinc (Zn; Kα-8.63), allowing us to classify this ink as a vitriolic iron-gall ink."

Remarks

This ink was used for the initial writing of the Umayyad Qur'anic text (p. 1). Digital microscopy under infrared light showed a decrease in opacity of the strokes, which is typical for iron-gall inks (p. 4). The ink appears faded specifically on the flesh side of the parchment fragments, which may be due to differences in ink adherence compared to the hair side (p. 3, 9). This primary ink corresponds to the first production stage of the manuscript, likely dating to 720–750 CE (p. 10).