mixed carbon and iron-gall ink

Egypt
2th Century
Source: Colini, C., Hahn, O., Bonnerot, O., Steger, S., Cohen, Z., Ghigo, T., Christiansen, T., Bicchieri, M., Biocca, P., Krutzsch, M., and Rabin, I. (2018). 'The Quest for the Mixed Inks', manuscript cultures, 11, pp. 41–48.
Recipe Details

Ingredients

Carbon, Iron, Calcium

Preparation Steps

The ink shows a carboniferous nature (no change in opacity under NIR), but the distribution of Calcium (Ca) and Iron (Fe) correlates perfectly with the text. This suggests an intentional mixture. It is possible that metallic iron from nails soaked in vinegar was used to produce iron ions to react with tannins, as prescribed in old Arabic recipes. (p. 44-45)

Original Recipe Text

The ink shows a carboniferous nature (no change in opacity under NIR), but the distribution of Calcium (Ca) and Iron (Fe) correlates perfectly with the text. This suggests an intentional mixture. It is possible that metallic iron from nails soaked in vinegar was used to produce iron ions to react with tannins, as prescribed in old Arabic recipes. (p. 44-45)

Evidence

"Therefore, we can assume here that we are dealing here with a mixed carbon and iron-gall ink, even though no Raman test for an unequivocal identification of iron-gall ink has been conducted. (p. 44)"

Remarks

The presence of Calcium is notable as it has been detected many times in iron-gall inks. The manuscript dates to c. 100–200 CE and was part of clandestine excavations acquired by the Carlsberg Foundation. (p. 44-45)

Scientific Analysis
Chemical CompositionFe, Ca
Analytical Techniques
NIR reflectography
XRF
Certainty Level
Probable
Instrumentally Verified
Verified
Metadata
Material Type
ink
Paper TypePapyrus
ColorBlack
RegionEgypt
Approx. Year150
Source Information
TitleThe Quest for the Mixed Inks
AuthorColini, C., Hahn, O., Bonnerot, O., Steger, S., Cohen, Z., Ghigo, T., Christiansen, T., Bicchieri, M., Biocca, P., Krutzsch, M., and Rabin, I.
CollectionDemotic text from Tebtynis, P. Carlsberg 649
Language
N/A
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