January 02, 2007, 22:13
neveuWhy Gutenberg?
Could a Greek Gutenberg have invented a practical movable type printing system in antiquity? Were there any technical (like suitable ink) or economic (like cheap writing material) prerequisites that needed to be in place?
This question is prompted by a recent news article about a lost text of Archimedes that was found beneath the text of a 13th century parchment prayerbook.
January 03, 2007, 06:11
zmježdAre you talking about the
Archimedes Palimpsest?
January 03, 2007, 08:52
arnieMovable type printing was first used in China some 400 years before Gutenberg. See
Wikipedia.
I would think that the invention of paper (as opposed to papyrus or palimpsests, etc) would be a significant factor; that took place around two millennia ago, again in China. It would have been just too late for the Greeks of antiquity, even supposing that they knew of the developments in China.
January 03, 2007, 11:38
neveuquote:
Are you talking about the Archimedes Palimpsest?
Yes.
January 03, 2007, 11:41
neveuDoes anyone know how expensive papyrus was in antiquity? Was it so expensive that the time and cost of a scribe were insignificant compared to the cost of papyrus? I've tried making papyrus (the reeds grow near our house) and it isn't trivial.
January 04, 2007, 02:15
Richard EnglishIt's not all that expensive these days. I bought some papyrus souvenirs when I was in Egypt and they were not expensive - although the "fake-papyrus" items (made from banana leaves I was told) were significantly cheaper.