A human touch for ancient scripts at Italy’s book hospital
Ancient manuscripts are treated like hospital patients at a famous
book restoration institute in Rome that has worked on everything from
the Dead Sea Scrolls to one of the oldest Korans in the world.
“Look at this poor man suffering!” exclaimed Marina Bicchieri, head
of the chemistry department at the Institute of the Pathology of the
Book, as she examined oxidation levels on the unique institution's most
recent project.
Bicchieri was looking at a chart with the scientific analysis of one
of the last letters written by a captive Aldo Moro, a former Italian
prime minister who was kidnapped and killed by far-left Red Brigades
militants in 1978.
Founded in 1938 to preserve Italy's priceless archives, the
laboratory is tucked away inside a walled garden in the city centre.
“This interdisciplinary institute was the first of its kind in the
world,” Bicchieri said.
The museum is filled with books suffering from the worst kinds of
ailments -- including one with a hole as big as a fist eaten by termites
or another riddled with bullet holes from the Battle of Monte Cassino
during World War II.
The institute is the main point of reference for book and archive
restoration in Italy but also does work for the Vatican and
internationally.
One recent research project was carried out on fragments of Koranic
manuscripts found in Sanaa in Yemen dating back to at least the
eight-century.
Researchers are so keen they even donated blood to carry out
experiments after finding that an ink with human blood had been used to
write the Dead Sea Scrolls -- apparently because of its iron content to
help stabilise colours. “The main problems we see are linked to water,
heat, dust and insects,” said Flavia Pinzari, head of the biology
department.
Their projects can be long-running but also emergency interventions.
“Following the recent flooding in Tuscany we were called by the local
authorities to help them with flooded archives,” Pinzari said.
“We told them to freeze the books since that stops the water from
diluting the ink and micro-organisms from propagating. Then we can
vaporize the frozen water avoiding damage linked to the water,” she
added.
The institute brings together scientists as well as literature
specialists and artisans with a range of skills from traditional book
binding, to the production of parchment, to the restoration of mediaeval
illuminations.
AFP
|
