Cairo Geniza Fragments Spectral Imaging Project

2015, Cambridge University Library.

Coordinated by Judith Olszowy-Schlanger of the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris, in collaboration with Ben Outhwaite of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit, the project applied cutting-edge spectral imaging and multidisciplinary materials’ analysis to the study of dozens of Genizah fragments. Some of the fragments were palimpsests, and others were illegible due to deterioration.

In the case of the palimpsests, both lower and upper texts of these fragments contain unique texts, such as Greek Bible translations of Aquila, and Origen’s Hexapla (which had long been considered lost), or the most ancient extant copies of the Jerusalem Talmud. Improved readings of the palimpsests and of the faded or disputable passages of important writings such as the so-called ‘Kiev letter’ (T-S 12.122) or Damascus Document (T-S 16.311) will contribute considerably to our knowledge of Genizah manuscripts and Jewish history in general.

https://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/files/genizah_fragments_70.pdf

Photo: D. Kasotakis, 2015

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