Global InformationVoynich manuscript information
| Voynich manuscript | |
|---|---|
| Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library | |
 A floral illustration on page 32 | |
| Also known as | Beinecke MS408 |
| Type | codex |
| Date | Unknown; parchment dated to early 15th century[1][2] |
| Place of origin | Unknown; possibly Italy[1][2] |
| Language(s) | Unknown; possibly natural[3] or constructed language[4][5][a] |
| Author(s) | Unknown; suggested (amongst others):
|
| Material | vellum |
| Size | ≈ 23.5 cm × 16.2 cm × 5 cm (9.3 in × 6.4 in × 2.0 in) |
| Format | One column in the page body, with slightly indented right margin and with paragraph divisions, and often with stars in the left margin;[12] the rest of the manuscript appears in the form of graphics (i.e. diagrams or markings for certain parts related to illustrations), containing some foldable parts |
| Condition | Partially damaged and incomplete; 240 out of 272 pages found (≈ 88%,[13][10][12] i.e. 18 out of 20 quires found)[b] |
| Script | Unknown; possibly an invented script[15][c] |
| Contents | Herbal, astronomical, balneological, cosmological and pharmaceutical sections and a section with recipes |
| Illumination(s) | Colour ink, a bit crude, was used for painting the figures, probably later than the time of creation of the text and the outlines themselves[13] |
| Exemplar(s) | Two manuscript copies which Baresch sent twice to Kircher in Rome |
| Previously kept |
|
| Discovered | Earliest information about its existence comes from a letter that was found inside the covers of the manuscript—the letter was written in either 1665 or 1666 |
| Accession | MS 408 |
The Voynich manuscript is an illustrated codex, hand-written in an unknown script referred to as 'Voynichese.'[18] The vellum on which it is written has been carbon-dated to the early 15th century (1404–1438). Stylistic analysis has indicated the manuscript may have been composed in Italy during the Italian Renaissance.[1][2] While the origins, authorship, and purpose of the manuscript are still debated, hypotheses range from a script for a natural language or constructed language, an unread code, cypher, or other form of cryptography, or perhaps a hoax, reference work (i.e. folkloric index or compendium), or work of fiction (e.g. science fantasy or mythopoeia, metafiction, speculative fiction) currently lacking the translation(s) and context needed to both properly entertain or eliminate any of these possibilities.
The manuscript consists of around 240 pages, but there is evidence that pages are missing. The text is written from left to right, and some pages are foldable sheets of varying sizes. Most of the pages have fantastical illustrations and diagrams, some crudely coloured, with sections of the manuscript showing people, fictitious plants, astrological symbols, etc. The manuscript is named after Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish book dealer who purchased it in 1912.[19] Since 1969, it has been held in Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.[20][12][21] In 2020, Yale University published the manuscript online in its entirety in their digital library.[22]
The Voynich manuscript has been studied by both professional and amateur cryptographers, including American and British codebreakers from both World War I and World War II.[23] Codebreakers Prescott Currier, William Friedman, Elizebeth Friedman, and John Tiltman were unsuccessful.[24]
The manuscript has never been demonstrably deciphered, and none of the proposed hypotheses have been independently verified.[25] The mystery of its meaning and origin has excited speculation and provoked study.
- ^ a b c Steindl, Klaus; Sulzer, Andreas (2011). "The Voynich Code — The World's Mysterious Manuscript". Archived from the original (video) on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ a b c Stolte, Daniel (10 February 2011). "Experts determine age of book 'nobody can read'". PhysOrg. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Landini-2001was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
Tiltman-1967was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
planwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Bacon/Mnishovskywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Zandbergen-origin-of-mswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sinapiuswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Zandbergen-letterswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Pellingwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ SantaColoma, H. Richard. "New Atlantis Voynich Theory". Santa-coloma.net. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
MS 408was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
analysiswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Schmehwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
KennedyChurchill2004was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Schuster-2009was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
D-Imperio-1978was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Schinner 2007.
- ^ Brumbaugh 1978
- ^ "MS 408" (image). Yale Library. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Voynich Manuscript". Beinecke Library. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ "Voynich Manuscript". Yale University Library – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Hogenboom, Melissa (21 June 2013). "Mysterious Voynich manuscript has 'genuine message'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
- ^ Turing =, Dermot (2020). The Codebreakers of Bletchley Park. London: Arcturus Publishing. pp. 135, 136. ISBN 978-1-78950-621-1.
- ^ Pelling, Nick. "Voynich theories". ciphermysteries.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
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