carbon-based ink characterised by the presence of trace amounts of copper

Ingredients

soot, charcoal, water-soluble binder, gum Arabic, trace copper

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The carbon ink used in this period is traditionally composed of soot or charcoal mixed with a water-soluble binder, commonly gum Arabic, which is then dispersed in water (p. 851, Section I). The specific ink of this manuscript contains trace amounts of copper which are likely not an intentional ingredient but rather a result of accidental contamination. Possible sources cited include the use of a copper or bronze inkwell during the writing process or copper ions present in the water used to prepare the ink (p. 854, Section V).

Evidence

"The results indicate that the text was written with a carbon-based ink characterised by the presence of trace amounts of copper, possibly due to impurities in the water or the use of a copper or bronze inkwell. The diacritical dots completing the text were penned using the same ink"

Remarks

The study analyzed three bifolia (68.1, 6, and 7) of the longest extant Qur'an excerpt on papyrus. Raman spectroscopy (532 nm laser) confirmed the use of carbon-based black ink by identifying characteristic D and G bands (p. 853, Fig 3). XRF spatial scans revealed that the copper impurities were present in both the main text and the diacritical dots, suggesting they were penned at the same stage with the same ink (p. 853, Section IV). The use of carbon ink on papyrus is noted as unusual for early Qur'anic fragments, which are more typically found on parchment with iron-gall ink (p. 854, Section V).