Ethiopian Antique handwritten manuscript Holy Book in Ge'ez Coptic on parchment, 17th cen, 171pp.
with leather cover and parchment pages Hand-written
169, 2 pages, 2 first pages endpapers) written by other hand, probably later
Covers - wood covered with leather
Size: 14 x 10 x 4.8 cm., weight: 394 gr.
This Book has two hand carved wooden covers on the front and back through which very fine holes are drilled and strung with string which goes through all the pages to make a very simple yet effective binding.The pages are made of goat skin called vellum that has a parchment like texture. The writting is in black and red paint or ink (red usually being reserved for the names of God, Saints and the Holy Family) made from plant juices and is in Ethiopic (Ge'ez) a language no longer used today except by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for religious purposes. Ge'ez which is the country's earliest language and which has been referred to as the 'Latin of Ethiopia' and is used today only in the liturgy of the Ethiopian Church.
Condition: One cover detached, soiling to pages