manuscript ink on vellum, circa 8th century
What the bright circles on this page mean no one absolutely knows.
The six words written on this page are in Coptic once the common tongue of Egyptian Christians. The words at the top mean “spiritual music”. Those below and to the left mean “sacred hymn singer.” Below these, a word states simply, “beginning,” and one at the foot of the page reads “end.”
CHRISTINE MCNAIR 