VideometerLab Technology Aids Medieval Runic Manuscript Analysis
Since 2010, Copenhagen University Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics has been using the VideometerLab spectral imaging technology to aid studies involving manuscripts, runes and ancient documents.
In 2021, PhD candidate Paola Peratello began her use of the VideometerLab for the spectral imaging analysis of the “Arnamagnæanske Samling”, also known as the Codex Runicus. This document contains the oldest preserved Scanian law from the 1300s. As she explains in her paper, she utilized the instrument to capture images of different folios of the manuscript.
Spectral Imaging analysis aided her research by unveiling elements on the folios that were not as visible by the naked eye. As she mentions in the paper it helped “deepen the knowledge on the production of the manuscript”. The analysis brought out in her research involved the examination and recovery of parts of the text that were thought to be lost. Furthermore, through imaging analysis it was possible to map the scribal hands of the work.
The conclusion of the research stated that the VideometerLab spectral imaging technology is promising for the investigation and recovery of ancient texts and documents, as its non-invasive nature allows to preserve the heirlooms during their assessments. Additionally, spectral imaging allows to visualize elements in the folios that would otherwise be considered as lost.
Read Paola Peratello’s full article here: Peratello | Multispectral Imaging and Microscopic Analysis of a Medieval Runic Manuscript (AM 28 8vo) | Digital Medievalist