Parchment in medieval Norway: A historical and bio-codicological approach

Sammendrag

This article deals with production, use and trade of parchment in Norway through a discussion of medieval end early modern sources. We have also used biomolecular tools to extend our knowledge of the actual biological narrative of the parchment itself. Analyses of ancient proteins (eZooMS) enables us to reveal which species of animals were used for parchment production. As source material we have used documents for which a Norwegian origin is certain or likely. This is the first study in Norway to use biomolecular methods on what we believe is Norwegian produced parchment.

All authors have commented upon the text. Östlund Nilsson, Weidling and Karlsen have edited the article and sewn the different parts together. Hesselberg-Wang took the initiative to the protein analysis. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Professor emeritus James E. Knirk for advising us on the runic inscription B625 from Bergen, to Senior Archivist Gunnar I. Pettersen for his advice on medieval currencies, and to Dr. Vibeke Martens for improving our English. At last, we would like to thank the members of the Beasts 2 Craft group who so generously have placed their resources to our disposal.