23 February, 2025

✍️ Scribal Art

with the Ashmolean Museum Hosting

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity

We are delighted to collaborate with the University of Oxford Ashmolean Museum – the holder of one of the richest collections of art, archaeology, and ancient world artefacts.

Photo courtesy of the Ashmolean Museum

Set amongst breathtaking scribal artefacts, this multiscriptal and multilingual event explores ancient civilisations through the art of calligraphy, scripts, and languages. After introducing to the scripts, and cultures of multiple linguistic, and ethnic groups, visitors will be invited to write their names and chosen words in multiple languages and beautiful calligraphies.

Date: 23 February, 2025

Time: 11:00-15:45 GMT

Venue: Reading and Writing Gallery | The Hans and Märit Rausing Gallery | Ashmolean Museum

ALL Welcome, no prior registration required

Programme

11:00-11:05

Introduction | Linguistic and Cultural Diversity | Dr Thea Gomelauri

11:05-11:30

Juliana Pars | Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
Armenian (հայերեն) Hayeren Language & Script

11:30-12:30

Ashwini Mokashi, and her students: Thomas Awad, Simple Rajrah, Riccardo Paccagnella
Marathi (मराठी) Language | Modi (मोडी) Script
Hindi (हिन्दी) Language | Devanāgarī (देवनागरी) Script

12:30-13:00

Shuchita Grover | Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
Tibetan (བོད་སྐད།) Language & Script
Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬ) Language | Gurmukhi (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ) Script

13:00-14:00

William Scannell | Faculty of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
Arabic (اَلْعَرَبِيَّةُ) Language & Script
Coptic (ϯⲙⲉⲧⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ) Language & Script

14:00-15:00

Kate Crosby, and her students | Pali & Scripts
Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ) Mranma bhasa | presented by Pyi Kyaw
Assamese (অসমীয়া) Asamiya | presented by Bikash Bhattacharya
Lanna (Thailand) (อักษรธรรมล้านนา) | presented by Phramaha Sawansung
Sinhala (සිංහල) | presented by Revd Wadigala Samitharathana
Dai/Shan (Burma/Thailand) (ၵႂၢမ်းတႆး) | presented by Ven Uttamasaralankara

15:00-15:45

Thea Gomelauri
Georgian (ქართული) Language | Mkhedruli (მხედრული) Script
Slavonic (Славянский) Languages | Kirilitsa (Кириллица) Script
Hebrew (עִבְרִית) Aramaic (ארמית) Languages | Scripts | Micrography

Optional
Georgian (ႵႠႰႧႳႪႨ) Language | Asomtavruli (ႠႱႭႫႧႠႥႰႳႪႨ) Script
Georgian (ⴕⴀⴐⴇⴓⴊⴈ) Language | Nuskhuri (ⴌⴓⴑⴞⴓⴐⴈ) Script
Syriac (ܣܘܪܝܝܐ) Language & Script
Egyptian Hieroglyphs | Hieratic Script | Demotic Script | William Scannell

ALL Welcome

The Reading and Writing Gallery depicts the ancient scribing civilizations and their artefacts. This multilingual educational workshop explores the past through multiple ancient languages, scripts, and calligraphy. Participants will be introduced to various Eastern and Western alphabets, including Arabic, Armenian, Cyrillic, Ethiopian, Georgian, Greek, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Syriac, etc. The visitors can write sacred words, their names, and/or other phrases in multiple ancient scripts. The event offers everyone the first-hand scribal art experience, and promotes awareness about the diversity of our planet seeking beauty in every community, their languages, scripts, and cultures.

Sample of Arabic Script

Bodleian Library, Canonici Or. 123. The manuscript can be viewed here.

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Sample of Armenian Script

The Canon Tables with a portrait of Eusebius. Letter to Carpianus, Toros Roslin, Zeytun Gospels, 1256, Getty Museum collection. Made in Persia.

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Sample of Asomtavruli Script

The silver-plated case for the Gospel, decorated by R-Z Goshodze. Asomtavruli script. Preserved in Ermakov’s photo collection.

The Anbandidi Gospel, 9th c. National Archives of Georgia, collection 446, MS. 107.

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Sample of Cyrillic Script

Buslaevskaya Psalter. Церковнославянский, 15c. Российская государственная библиотека, РГБ. Ф. 304. I (Фундаментальное собр. ТСЛ). № 308.

Российская государственная библиотека, собрание рукописей библиотеки Троице-Сергиевой Лавры, Ф.304/I №314. Псалтирь с возследованием.

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Sample of Devanāgarī Script

Pālakāpya’s Gajaśāstra. Bodleian Library, MS. Ind. Inst. Sansk. 2.

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Sample of Geʽez Script

‘Flight into Egypt’ from the Nagara Māryām (History and Miracles of the Blessed Virgin Mary),British Library MS Or 607. Ethiopia, ca. 1730–55. British Library, Or. 607, f. 17r.

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Sample of Three Georgian Scripts

Collage of three Georgian scripts: Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri, and Mkhedruli (from left to right).

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Sample of Hebrew Script (micrography)

The Sana’a Pentateuch, written in Yemen. 1469. British Library, Or. 2348.

The Kennicott Bible. Bodleian Library, MS. Kennicott 1. The scribe’s colophon.

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Sample of Mkhedruli Script

King George XII Charter granted constableship to Eshikaghasbash Alexander Maqashvili, 1798, ‘by the Grace of God, We, of Jesse, of David, of Solomon, Pankrationi’. Georgian National Archive.

Fragment of Shahname in Mxedruli Script. Georgia, H-61.

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Sample of Modi Script

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Sample of Nuskhuri Script

The Vani Gospel, copied in Constantinople. 13c. Georgia, NCM, A-1335.

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Nuskhuri and Asomtavruli Scripts together

A Georgian liturgical manuscript, written in Jerusalem at the Monastery of the Holy Cross by St Prochorus (Giorgi Prokhore), the monastery’s founder. 11th century, Bodleian Library, Georg. b. 1, f.2r.

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