Where Was The Voynich Manuscript Made?
There are very many reasons to assume that MS 408 was made in Europe. Quite apart from all of the research that has gone before, my recent researches show similarities of style with known manuscripts from the European middle ages. There is also a matter of presumed cost. Quality manuscripts were produced mostly to order by professionals for the wealthy. MS 408 appears to have been produced to a low quality, hence not for a wealthy client. This implies a requirement for low cost raw materials. In the relevant period of the middle ages, Britain was the major exporter of wool to Europe, especially to the cloth-makers of Flanders and Artois. Far from being a ‘dark’ age, the medieval era was noted for its utilisation of every possible by-product of its products. Sheep were kept in medieval times, not primarily for their meat or wool, but for their milk1. Older sheep were sold for meat. Sheep-gut is known to have been used for the strings of instruments such as harps. Tallow was used for soa
