Early medieval manuscripts were commonly annotated not only by glosses
but also by annotation symbols. These graphic signs inserted in
manuscript margins provided manuscript text with layers of additional
meaning and functionality. From the most common signs marking biblical
quotations and passages of interest to the sophisticated systems of
signs used by some of the early medieval scholars, annotation symbols
represent perhaps the most common form of marginalia encountered in
early medieval books. Yet, their non-verbal character proved a serious
obstacle to their understanding and appreciation. This book represents
the first systematic study of annotation symbols used in the Latin West
between c. 400 and c. 900. Combining paleographic evidence with the
evidence of written sources such as late antique and early medieval
lists of signs, this book identifies the most important communities of
sign users and conventions in use in the early Middle Ages. It explores
some of the notable differences between regions, periods, linguistic
communities and classes of users and reconstructs a fascinating history
of the practice of using signs, rather than words, to annotate text.
Those who work with early medieval manuscripts will, furthermore, find
this book to be a practical handbook of the most common annotation
symbols attested in early medieval Western manuscripts or discussed in
ancient and medieval sources.
