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A codex ( Latin for ''block of wood'', '' Book ''; plural ''codices'') is a handwritten book, in general one produced from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages . The scholarly study of Manuscript s from the point of view of the book-making craft is called Codicology . The study of ancient documents in general is called Paleography . and Aztec Codices . The codex was an improvement upon and gradually replaced the Scroll as the written medium. The codex in turn was replaced by the Printed Book . HISTORY The Romans used similar precursors made of reusable wax-covered tablets of wood for taking notes and other informal writings. The first recorded use of the codex for literary works dates from the late , Herculaneum, (buried in 79 AD), all the texts (Greek literature) are scrolls; in the Nag Hammadi "library", secreted about 390 AD, all the texts (Gnostic Christian) are codices. In Western Culture , the codex gradually replaced the scroll. From the fourth century, when the codex gained wide acceptance, to the Carolingian Renaissance in the eighth century, many works that were not converted from scroll to codex were lost to posterity. The codex was an improvement over the scroll in several ways. It could be opened flat at any page, allowing easier reading; the pages could be written on both Recto and Verso ; and the codex, protected within its durable covers, was more compact and easier to transport. .]] The codex also made it easier to organize documents in a Library because it had a stable spine on which the title of the book could be written. The spine could be used for the Incipit , before the concept of a proper title was developed, during medieval times. Although most early codices were made of Papyrus , papyrus was fragile and supplies from Egypt, the only place where papyrus grew, became scanty; the more durable Parchment and Vellum gained favor, despite the cost. The codices of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica had the same form as the European codex, but were instead made with long folded strips of either wood bark or plant fibers, often with a layer of Whitewash applied before writing. SOME CODICES Codices are usually named for their most famous resting-place, whether a city or a private library.
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OTHER USES OF THE WORD A legal text or code of conduct is sometimes called a codex (for example, the ''Justinian Codex''), since laws were recorded in large codices. The word "codex" has also been used to refer to a developer's guidebook for an open source software project. WordPress and the Gallery project are examples. NOTES SEE ALSO REFERENCES |