labels in the vms

report

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labels in the vms
2015-10-19 Report - Labels v1.0.pdf
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introduction

  • Yet, it has not been able to "decrypt" the Beinecke MS 408, also refered to as Voynich MS or VMS. 

  • If the VMS is written an unknown "language" it would be a great opportunity to "solve" it if there would be a clear context between a piece of text and a picture explaining its meaning.

  • Exept the list of labels made by STOLFI (1997, 1998) there has not been a list of labels combined with the pictures nearby. 

objective

  • Is there any context-sensitive usage of labels in the VMS?

material & methods

  • Downloading high resolution images ("zoom view") from Homepage of Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University (2014, about 252 images, 72ppi, JPG, about 1.03 GB in total, URL: http://brbl-zoom.library.yale.edu/viewer/1006074).

  • Creating a list of labels in EVA Transcription and nearby pictures

  • Sorting the list by labels

  • Searching for similarities in the usage of labels and nearby pictures

findings

  • Most labels occur only a single time but share the same "root"

  • Complex lables occur only once (e.g. okaldady, porShols, sochorcPhy)

  • Some labels occur twice or more but in different contexts (e.g. otol, otoky, otody)

  • As no labels occur nearby the same pictures, there seems not to be any contextual-sensitive usage of labels in the VMS

discussion

  • Labels do not seem to show names of the plants nearby

  • Labels could show attributes or conditions

  • Lables could have no meaning at all

perspectives

  • Maybe by comparing the paragraphs in the pharmaceutical section with each other and with the herbal sections the meaning of the labels could become clear.

 

attachments

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labels in the vms sorted by eva transcription
2015-12-15 Attachment - Labels of the VM
Adobe Acrobat Document 8.2 MB

references

  • Beinecke MS 408.Cipher manuscript (Voynich manuscript). General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. http://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3519597
  • D'IMPERIO(1978)The Voynich Manuscript: An Elegant Enigma. Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. National Security Agency (NSA). https://www.nsa.gov/about/_files/cryptologic_heritage/publications/misc/voynich_manuscript.pdf
  • STOLFI[ic.unicamp.br] (1997-10-23)Label reference maps
  • STOLFI[ic.unicamp.br] (1998-07-20)Lots of labels - Main page