[Piece of Medieval Vellum with Latin]

Artist: Unknown Artist Primary

manuscripts
Handwritten documents, particularly books and other documents created before the invention of the printing press. May also be used to distinguish certain documents from published or otherwise printed documents, as in the cases of typed personal letters or a typescript from which printed versions are made.

public domain
Land owned and controlled by the state or federal government. Also, the status of publications, products, and processes that are not protected under patent or copyright.

vellum
Fine-quality calf or lamb parchment used for writing, illuminations, or binding books. The terms "vellum" and "parchment" are sometimes confused and used interchangeably.

Medieval
Refers to the period beginning in the Christianized Roman Empire in the fifth century and lasting until the Renaissance, which began in the 13th to the 15th century CE, depending upon which country is being discussed. The variety of styles that developed during the Medieval period are generally characterized by an evolution of the Greco-Roman tradition to incorporate Christian themes, the energetic spirit of the Celtic and Germanic peoples, and the thriving new towns populated by free men.

Medieval Italian

Latin
The Indo-European language in the Italic group that was originally spoken by small groups of people living along the lower Tiber River, and later spread around the world with the increase of Roman political power The oldest existing example of Latin dates to the 7th century BCE.

ink
A fluid medium used for drawings or tracings. An opaque, usually black, pigment is mixed with a vehicle such as water to produce a fluid which can be applied with a pen or brush. Through the end of the 19th century, ink was supplied dried in stick or block form which was ground and mixed with water as needed. At the beginning of this century prepared ink became popular.