paper

Mali
16th Century
Source: Abdel Kader Haidara, Ismaël Diadié Haidara, and Haoua Taore. In 'The Meanings of Timbuktu', edited by Shamil Jeppie and Souleymane Bachir Diagne, HSRC Press, 2008.
Recipe Details

Ingredients

Chemical elements used for bleaching, acidic gumming

Preparation Steps

Manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries were made using paper treated with chemical bleaching agents and acidic gums, which have led to long-term instability (p. 274).

Original Recipe Text

Manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries were made using paper treated with chemical bleaching agents and acidic gums, which have led to long-term instability (p. 274).

Evidence

"From the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the quality of the paper declined considerably. Chemical elements used for bleaching the paper and acidic gumming methods have accelerated the chemical degradation of paper, which becomes brittle, yellow and acidic."

Remarks

The introduction of these chemical bleaching and gumming methods caused the paper to become yellow, brittle, and highly acidic over time (p. 274). Many of these manuscripts contain watermarks identifying their origin (p. 275).

Scientific Analysis
Analytical Techniques
electronic pH measuring
Certainty Level
Confirmed
Instrumentally Verified
Verified
Metadata
Material Type
paper
Paper Typepaper
ColorYellow
RegionMali
Approx. Year1550
Source Information
AuthorAbdel Kader Haidara, Ismaël Diadié Haidara, and Haoua Taore. In 'The Meanings of Timbuktu', edited by Shamil Jeppie and Souleymane Bachir Diagne, HSRC Press, 2008.
CollectionTimbuktu
Language
N/A
AI Suggestions
Find similar recipes based on ingredients and preparation methods.
    paper (16th Century) | Islamic Ink Atlas