Godescalc Evangelistary
One of the first manuscripts in Carolingian minuscule – the basis of our lower-case letters.
Charlemagne commissioned the manuscript in 781–783. Carolingian minuscule spread throughout the empire and became the model for the humanists’ script in the 15th century and thus for roman lower case. The manuscript is in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Materials: Purple-dyed parchment, gold and silver ink
Manufacture: Written by hand with a broad pen; the text in gold and silver on purple leaves.
Small, round, clearly separated letters with short ascenders and descenders.
How easy the text is to read compared with older scripts.