Image: On October 18th, FRC welcomed Dr. Hermanowicz, a professor from the Classics department, to talk through the history of printmaking and book discoveries. She discussed the evolution of book material: from wax tablets, to scrolls, from papyrus, to leather envelopes, and finally printing. With this evolution of writing material, writing slowly became more readable. Before, writing etched into wax tablets had jagged strokes, but as writers moved to printing, writing became more clear. She also discussed lost texts, like those buried under avalanches in Herculaneum, and found texts, like the thousands of papyri dug up from Oxyrhynchus along the Nile. Lastly, Dr. Hermanowicz discussed controversy and illegal activities surrounding ancient texts. One early manuscript of Revelation records the number of the beast as "616," rather than "666." Well known furniture companies and Oxford professors are known to have participated in illegal trades of ancient texts, and Carolva Sigonivs, a famous and respected Italian editor, forged a lost manuscript and claimed that he found it. FRC residents then had the opportunity to review early books and manuscripts such as a handwritten Quran. It was an exciting discussion of the history of books and we thank Dr. Hermanowicz for sharing her passions!
