Bobbio Orosius facts for kids
The Bobbio Orosius is a very old book, or manuscript, made around the early 600s. It was written in a special style called Insular script. This book contains a history of the world called the Chronicon, written by a person named Paulus Orosius.
This ancient book has 48 pages, called folios. Each page is about 210 by 150 millimeters in size. Experts believe it was created at a writing workshop, or scriptorium, in Bobbio Abbey. This abbey was started by Saint Columbanus in the year 612.
The Bobbio Orosius was listed in the abbey's library records in 1461. Later, in 1606, the monks gave the book to the Ambrosian Library. This library was founded by Cardinal Federico Borromeo.
Special Pages and Art
The Carpet Page
One of the most exciting parts of the Bobbio Orosius is its "carpet page." This is the earliest known carpet page in a type of art called Insular art. You can find this special page on folio 1v of the book.
Carpet pages are like a full-page picture. They look a bit like a woven carpet. The one in the Bobbio Orosius is simpler than later ones. But it still shows amazing patterns and colors. These designs were common in Insular manuscripts.
The page has a big rosette (a flower-like design) in the middle. Four smaller rosettes are in each corner. All these designs are inside a rectangular frame.
The sides of the frame have patterns that look like twisted ropes, called cable motifs. The left side has one large white cable on a pink background. The right side has two smaller white cables on pink, separated by a yellow bar.
The top and bottom parts of the frame are broken into smaller squares. These squares have chevrons (V-shapes) and triangles. These shapes switch between pink and yellow colors.
Decorated Letters
The carpet page is right before the first page of text. The very first letter, a large "P," and the opening words "Praeceptis tuis par(rui)" are much bigger than the rest of the writing. These letters are hollow inside and filled with pink and orange colors. The stem of the "P" goes down the whole length of the text!
There's also a decorated "D" on folio 5. It's outlined with dots and filled with orange. On folio 33, you'll find a larger "N." This letter has a cable pattern in white on an orange background. The middle bar of the "N" is green, and orange dots fill the space around it.
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