Non-vitriolic iron gall ink

Ingredients

iron, manganese

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

While specific Coptic recipes from this early period are not surviving, the typological equivalent involves soaking or boiling a tannin source (like gall nuts or bark) with iron pieces such as filings, slags, or rusty nails, often with an acid source like lemon juice or vinegar to facilitate the production of iron (II) ions (p. 147-148).

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 completely absent."

Remarks

This ink typology was likely used due to the accessibility of iron scraps when vitriol was unavailable on the market (p. 147). The lack of Cu and Zn signatures in XRF is the key indicator for this specific preparation method (p. 146).