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Scroll

A scroll (from the Old French escroe or escroue), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing.^[1] It was the predominant form of document in ancient literate cultures, particularly in Egypt, Greece, and Rome, where texts were inscribed in columns and read by progressively unrolling the roll.^[2] Scrolls served as the primary medium for recording literature, legal documents, religious texts, and administrative records from around 3000 BCE until the widespread adoption of the codex in the early centuries CE.^[3] The history of scrolls dates back to ancient Egypt, where papyrus rolls were produced by gluing sheets together from the pith of the papyrus plant.^[1] Parchment scrolls, made from treated animal skins, became common in the Mediterranean and Near East by the 2nd century BCE, offering greater durability.^[2] In Jewish and Christian traditions, scrolls held sacred texts like the Torah and early biblical manuscripts, while in East Asia, silk or paper scrolls developed independently for artistic and literary purposes.^[3] Despite the shift to the codex for its convenience in random access, scrolls persisted in ceremonial and artistic uses into the medieval period and beyond.^[4]

Definition and Physical Characteristics

Definition

A scroll is a roll consisting of papyrus, parchment, leather, or paper, serving as a medium for writing or painting on its surface.^[5]^[6] It is designed to be unrolled sequentially from one end to the other for reading or viewing, facilitating access to content in a linear fashion.^[7] Key characteristics of a scroll include its continuous format, where text or images flow without division into distinct pages, distinguishing it from later formats like the codex, which uses bound sheets for easier random access to specific sections.^[8] Scrolls also differ from the rotulus, a shorter or narrower roll often oriented vertically with text parallel to the shorter edge, whereas standard scrolls (or volumina) are typically horizontal with text running along the length.^[9] Orientation can vary by tradition: Chinese scrolls are frequently vertical, especially in hanging formats, while Western scrolls are generally horizontal.^[10]^[11] The term "scroll" derives from Middle English scrowle, an alteration of Anglo-French escroe or escroue (a strip of parchment), influenced by rolle (roll); this traces back to a Germanic root meaning "cut" or "piece," evoking the idea of a cut strip of material rolled up.^[12]^[13]

Materials and Construction

Scrolls have been constructed from a variety of materials depending on the region and era, with papyrus serving as the primary medium in ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean world. Papyrus was derived from the pith of the Cyperus papyrus plant, a tall aquatic reed native to the Nile Delta; the stems were cut lengthwise into thin strips, arranged in overlapping horizontal and vertical layers, moistened, and pressed to form cohesive sheets through natural adhesion and drying. These individual sheets, typically measuring around 20-25 cm in height and 15-30 cm in length, were then glued edge-to-edge using a starch-based adhesive derived from the plant itself or wheat to create a continuous roll. Parchment and vellum emerged as alternatives in the Near East and Europe from the 2nd century BCE, made from animal skins such as those of calves, sheep, or goats; the hides were first soaked in a lime solution to loosen and remove hair and flesh, then scraped with knives to thin them, stretched on frames, and dried under tension to produce a smooth, durable surface, with vellum denoting the finer quality from untanned calfskin. In East Asia, particularly China, silk was a prestigious material for scrolls from at least the Warring States period (475-221 BCE), woven into lightweight fabrics like plain tabby or gauze from silkworm cocoons and used either plain or backed with paper for added strength. Later, from the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 CE), paper supplanted silk for many scrolls, produced by pulping plant fibers such as mulberry bark, hemp, or rags, forming a thin sheet on a mold, and pressing and drying it; this material allowed for longer, more economical rolls compared to silk. Construction techniques varied by material: papyrus sheets were pasted together into strips 20-30 cm wide and up to 10-30 meters long for extended texts, while parchment sheets were often sewn along the edges with leather thongs or flax threads to form similar rolls. Silk and paper scrolls in China were typically joined by pasting or sewing panels, with silk handscrolls often featuring embroidered or painted borders for reinforcement. To facilitate rolling and handling, scrolls were fitted with wooden rods known as umbilici in the Greco-Roman tradition, carved from materials like ivory, bone, or hardwood and attached to the ends of the roll, sometimes engraved or wrapped in leather for grip; these rods, usually 20-30 cm long to match the scroll's width, allowed the document to be unrolled sequentially from one side. Edge treatments included trimming with knives to create straight margins and occasional application of wax or resin to seal frayed fibers, preventing damage during repeated use. In Chinese constructions, similar wooden rollers (zhougan) of bamboo, wood, or ivory were inserted into silk or paper tubes at the ends, often adorned with jade or metal fittings for ceremonial scrolls. Prior to writing, scrolls underwent preparation to ensure ink adhesion and surface smoothness. Papyrus and paper were sized by brushing or immersing them in a solution of starch from wheat or rice, or gum arabic from acacia trees, which formed a thin, absorbent coating that prevented ink from bleeding while allowing even application; parchment was typically rubbed with pumice stone or chalk dust and sometimes lightly oiled for a similar effect. Early Greek scrolls occasionally employed boustrophedon writing directionality, where lines alternated from left-to-right and right-to-left to mimic the flow of unrolling, though this practice largely gave way to consistent left-to-right script by the 5th century BCE.

Historical Development

Ancient Origins

The earliest precursors to the scroll appeared in Mesopotamia before 3000 BCE, where writing emerged on clay tablets impressed with cuneiform script using reed styluses, primarily for economic and administrative records.^[14] These durable but bulky tablets laid the foundation for portable documentation, evolving alongside early experiments with other media in the Near East, though true scrolls developed distinctly in Egypt.^[15] In Egypt, around 3000 BCE during the Early Dynastic Period, papyrus rolls revolutionized record-keeping, enabling scribes to document administrative, legal, and economic matters on lightweight, rollable sheets derived from the pith of the Cyperus papyrus plant.^[16] The oldest surviving example, a fragmentary roll from Saqqara dated to circa 2900 BCE, attests to this innovation's immediate application in bureaucratic contexts, such as accounting and correspondence.^[17] During the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE), key advancements standardized the papyrus scroll's construction and use, with multiple sheets glued end-to-end to form rolls up to 10 meters long, inscribed in columns using hieratic script and carbon-based inks.^[18] This format facilitated efficient storage and consultation of texts, including early administrative papyri and nascent funerary compositions that foreshadowed later works like the Book of the Dead, though such spells were more commonly carved on tomb walls at this stage.^[19] By 1500 BCE, Egyptian papyrus technology and writing practices influenced neighboring regions through trade, reaching Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece, where administrative recording adapted similar principles—albeit primarily on clay tablets with Linear A and B scripts—reflecting broader cultural exchanges in the Aegean. Early scroll users encountered challenges with material longevity, particularly ink durability; carbon-based inks, composed of soot bound with gum arabic, resisted fading but could bleed or smudge on papyrus in humid conditions if the binder dissolved over time.^[20] To mitigate humidity and physical damage, scrolls were stored in sealed wooden boxes or pottery jars, as evidenced by Old Kingdom artifacts like the Hemaka box (c. 2900 BCE) from Saqqara, which contained administrative papyri, and the Gebelein box (c. 2450 BCE).^[21] These protective measures ensured many rolls survived in arid tomb environments for millennia.^[19]

Classical and Medieval Uses

In the Greco-Roman era, spanning approximately 800 BCE to 500 CE, scrolls served as the dominant medium for preserving and disseminating literature, philosophical treatises, and legal documents. Epic poems such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey were recorded on papyrus scrolls, with each of the 24 books of these works typically occupying a single scroll to facilitate reading and storage. Philosophical texts, including works by Epicurean and Stoic thinkers, were similarly inscribed, as evidenced by the carbonized scrolls recovered from the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum, which contain fragments of philosophical writings from the first century BCE. Legal codes and orations, such as those by Cicero, were also formatted on scrolls, enabling their use in courts and rhetorical education across the Roman Empire.^[22]^[23]^[22] Major libraries exemplified the scale of scroll usage during this period. The Library of Alexandria, established under Ptolemaic rule in the third century BCE, housed an estimated 40,000 to 400,000 scrolls at its height, encompassing Greek literature, scientific treatises, and historical accounts that scholars actively copied and expanded. A single scroll generally held the content of one book or literary work, with typical lengths ranging from 20 to 35 feet (about 6 to 10 meters), allowing for approximately 20 to 30 columns of text written in a continuous script without word breaks. This format supported the production of multi-volume sets for longer works, such as Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, where each of the eight books required its own scroll.^[24]^[22] Several innovations enhanced the functionality and preservation of scrolls in the classical world. Scribes often added colophons—notes at the end of the text recording the copyist's name, completion date, or authorship details—to authenticate and date works, a practice rooted in earlier Mesopotamian traditions but adapted in Greek and Roman contexts for scholarly verification. For protection during transport, Romans employed the capsa, a cylindrical leather or wooden case that held multiple scrolls upright, secured with straps for portability by scholars or officials. Over time, scrolls evolved toward narrower widths, averaging about three inches (7.5 cm) for columns, which improved handling and reduced material costs, making them more suitable for travel among itinerant philosophers and administrators.^[25]^[22] During the medieval period (500–1500 CE), scrolls persisted and adapted in the Byzantine and Islamic worlds, where they facilitated the copying and transmission of classical Greek texts. In Byzantium, scribes continued to produce scrolls for select literary and historical works, as seen in the tenth-century Joshua Roll, an illuminated parchment scroll depicting scenes from the Book of Joshua in a continuous narrative style reminiscent of classical formats. Islamic scholars in centers like Baghdad and Cordoba actively copied and translated Greek classics—such as Aristotle's philosophical treatises—onto scrolls during the eighth to tenth centuries, integrating them into the House of Wisdom's collections before the codex became predominant. In European monastic scriptoria, such as those at Monte Cassino and St. Gall, monks created illuminated scrolls for administrative records and occasional literary copies, adorning them with gold leaf and colored inks to highlight key passages from preserved classical authors like Virgil. These efforts ensured the survival of Greco-Roman knowledge amid cultural shifts, with scrolls often employing glued papyrus sheets for durability in humid climates.^[26]^[27]^[28]

Regional and Specialized Forms

In medieval Europe, administrative rolls known as rotuli represented a specialized adaptation of the scroll form, consisting of shorter, vertical sheets of parchment sewn together end-to-end for practical use in legal and bureaucratic contexts. These rolls were typically narrower and more compact than literary scrolls, facilitating storage and reference in administrative settings. A prominent example is the English plea rolls of the Court of Common Pleas, which commenced at the beginning of the reign of Edward I (from 1273) and extended through the 19th century, documenting court proceedings, writs, and judgments in a continuous roll format that could span multiple terms.^[29] In Scotland, the variant term "scrow" denoted similar rolled legal documents or schedules from the 13th to 17th centuries, often used for official writs and registers; this terminology reflected in roles such as the Clerk of the Scrow (Rotulorum Clericus), an official tasked with overseeing the maintenance and authentication of these records.^[30] East Asian scroll traditions featured distinctive regional innovations tailored to cultural and functional needs. During the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), Chinese "whirlwind books" emerged as short, accordion-folded rolls bound with bamboo strips, allowing pages to fan out like windblown leaves for quick consultation; this binding style, also called dragon scale or whirlwind binding, prioritized portability and reference utility over extended narrative reading.^[31] In Japan, from the 12th century onward during the Kamakura period (1185–1333), emakimono or illustrated handscrolls became a refined art form, comprising long horizontal rolls of silk or paper (often up to 40 feet in length) that integrated narrative text with vivid paintings to depict tales of history, romance, or Buddhist themes; these were unrolled sequentially in sections for private viewing, commissioned by nobility or temples.^[32] Beyond Europe and East Asia, other specialized scroll variants highlighted diverse material and functional adaptations. Similarly, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies, particularly the Maya, employed bark paper codices—crafted from the inner bark of fig trees (Ficus species) beaten into sheets and folded into screenfolds before 1500 CE; these codices recorded astronomical, ritual, and historical data in hieroglyphic script, reflecting the region's emphasis on durable, locally sourced materials for knowledge preservation.^[33]

Cultural and Religious Significance

In Judaism and Christianity

In Judaism, the Sefer Torah, or Torah scroll, serves as the holiest physical representation of the Five Books of Moses and is meticulously hand-copied by a qualified scribe known as a sofer on sheets of parchment derived exclusively from kosher animals, such as calves or sheep, to ensure ritual purity.^[34]^[35] The process adheres to strict halakhic guidelines, with the text written in black ink using a quill on specially prepared gevil or klaf parchment, sewn together with gut from kosher animals, forming a continuous roll stored in an ornate ark within the synagogue.^[36] These scrolls embody the covenantal tradition, remaining unchanged in form since antiquity to preserve the sanctity of the divine word. Torah scrolls are handled with profound reverence during synagogue services, never touched directly by bare hands to avoid ritual impurity, and instead followed with a silver or wooden pointer called a yad to trace the text aloud.^[37] The annual reading cycle, known as the parashah system, divides the Torah into 54 portions read weekly on Shabbat, culminating in the festival of Simchat Torah, which reinforces communal engagement with the text year after year.^[38] Ancient exemplars include the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of over 900 Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period, dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, discovered in 1947 near Qumran in the Judean Desert, which contain biblical texts and sectarian writings that illuminate early Jewish scriptural practices.^[39] In early Islam, scrolls were used to record and transmit the Quran, the holy scripture revealed to Prophet Muhammad between 610 and 632 CE. Parchment scrolls, known as suhuf, contained portions of the text compiled during the Prophet's lifetime and under the first caliphs. For instance, the scrolls of Ubayy ibn Ka'b and Ibn Mas'ud preserved early recitations. By the mid-7th century, under Caliph Uthman, the Quran was standardized in codex form, but scroll fragments from the late 7th century, such as those from the Sana'a manuscripts, demonstrate the transitional use of rolls in Islamic scriptural tradition.^[27] These early scrolls highlight Islam's role in preserving divine revelation through written media amid the shift from oral to bound formats. Early Christianity adopted scrolls for the Old Testament, frequently using the Greek Septuagint translation, which was disseminated on rolls in Hellenistic Jewish communities and carried over into Christian worship.^[40] By the 2nd century CE, however, Christians increasingly favored the codex format—pages bound like a modern book—for New Testament writings, as evidenced by the earliest surviving fragment, the Rylands Papyrus P52 (ca. 125–150 CE), a codex containing part of the Gospel of John, reflecting practical advantages like portability and the ability to compile multiple texts.^[40] Despite this shift, scrolls persisted in ceremonial Christian contexts, notably as illuminated Exultet rolls in medieval southern Italy, unrolled during the Easter Vigil to chant the Exsultet hymn praising Christ's resurrection and blessing the Paschal candle.^[41]

In Other Traditions

In Buddhist and Hindu traditions, scrolls served both devotional and instructional purposes, often integrating artistic elements with sacred texts. Tibetan thangka scrolls, emerging from the 8th century onward during the spread of Buddhism in Tibet, are painted depictions of deities, mandalas, and religious narratives on cotton or silk, designed to be unrolled for meditation and teaching.^[42] These portable artworks, influenced by Indian iconography, functioned as visual aids in rituals, allowing practitioners to contemplate complex cosmological diagrams like mandalas that symbolize the universe and paths to enlightenment.^[43] In Hindu contexts, Indian palm-leaf scrolls, dating back to the 1st millennium BCE, preserved Vedic texts through etching with a stylus followed by inking to highlight the incisions, creating durable records of philosophical and ritual knowledge on treated leaves of the palmyra or talipot palm.^[44] These manuscripts, common in South India and Sri Lanka, were bound with cords and stored in wooden covers, emphasizing the scrolls' role in transmitting ancient scriptures like the Rigveda for scholarly recitation and ceremonial use.^[45] East Asian religious practices further adapted scrolls for esoteric and protective functions. During Korea's Goryeo Dynasty (10th–14th centuries), sutra scrolls were meticulously transcribed in gold ink on indigo-dyed paper, often as acts of devotion to accumulate merit and invoke divine protection amid political turmoil, such as the Mongol invasions.^[46] These luxurious rolls, featuring illuminated texts from the Lotus Sutra or Avatamsaka Sutra, were enshrined in temples or royal shrines, blending calligraphy with subtle illustrations to enhance their spiritual potency.^[47] In Chinese Daoist traditions, talisman rolls—long strips of paper or silk inscribed with esoteric symbols (fu)—were unrolled during rituals to summon deities, ward off misfortune, or heal ailments, tracing their origins to Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) practices where such scripts represented heavenly writs.^[48] These rolls, activated through incantations and burning in ceremonies, underscored Daoism's emphasis on harmony between human and cosmic forces.^[49] Indigenous cultures outside Asia also employed bark-based manuscripts in ritual contexts. Pre-Columbian Aztec codices, crafted from amatl (fig-bark paper) coated in lime plaster, documented calendars, genealogies, and divinatory rituals, serving as guides for priests in ceremonies honoring deities like Quetzalcoatl through pictographic narratives unfolded during festivals. These screenfold codices, folded in an accordion style yet related to scroll formats, were vibrant with mineral pigments and integrated astronomical and sacrificial motifs to maintain societal and cosmic order.^[50]^[51]

Transition to the Codex

Factors Driving the Shift

The codex format provided significant practical advantages over the traditional scroll, primarily through its support for random access to content. Unlike scrolls, which required sequential unrolling to navigate text, codices allowed users to flip directly to any page, enabling faster reference, comparison of passages, and non-linear reading essential for scholarly and religious study. This feature was particularly beneficial for legal and theological texts, where cross-referencing multiple sections was common. Additionally, codices were more compact, binding multiple works or an entire collection—such as the four Gospels or Pauline epistles—into a single volume, whereas a comparable scroll could extend up to 30 meters in length. They also offered greater durability, with less vulnerability to edge wear from repeated handling compared to the rolled edges of scrolls, whose construction on papyrus or early parchment inherently limited flexibility and longevity. Production costs were lower for codices than scrolls of equivalent content, due to efficient use of materials on both sides of pages and simpler binding processes. The historical timeline of the shift began in the 1st century CE in the Roman Empire, where the codex evolved from wax tablets used for note-taking and early parchment notebooks, marking a transition from utilitarian aids to literary formats. By the late 1st century, Roman poet Martial explicitly recommended codices for their convenience in his epigrams, signaling early elite adoption among readers in Rome. Christians embraced the codex preferentially by the 2nd century CE, with approximately 92% of surviving pre-400 CE Christian papyri in this form, compared to only 5% of non-Christian texts, driven by the need for portable scriptures during evangelism and missionary work. This early Christian lead facilitated broader dissemination, as the format's advantages aligned with the growing production of sacred texts. Full dominance occurred between the 4th and 6th centuries CE, by which time codices had largely supplanted scrolls in both religious and secular contexts across the empire. Social and economic factors further propelled the transition, including the dynamics of the imperial Roman book trade, where publishers in urban centers like Rome increasingly favored codices for their ease of storage, transport, and sale to a widening audience beyond elites. The trade's emphasis on practicality accelerated production shifts, as codices reduced material waste and appealed to expanding literate classes. Compounding this, the destruction of major scroll repositories—such as the Serapeum library in Alexandria in 391 CE by Christian forces under Emperor Theodosius I—depleted stocks of classical pagan texts preserved on scrolls, diminishing their availability and reinforcing the codex as the dominant medium for new and copied works.

Persistence and Legacy

Despite the widespread adoption of the codex format by the early medieval period, scrolls maintained niche applications in diplomatic and administrative contexts. For example, the Magna Carta of 1215 was issued on a long roll of parchment measuring approximately 122 mm by 635 mm, allowing for the sequential recording of its clauses in a continuous document.^[52] Similarly, medieval English royal administration relied on rolls for official records, such as charter rolls and close rolls, which documented grants, treaties, and correspondence in a linear, unrolled format suitable for lengthy entries. These practices underscored the scroll's utility for documents requiring expansion or periodic addition, even as bound books became standard for literature. In artistic and ceremonial spheres, scrolls endured as vehicles for illumination and ritual. During the Renaissance, commissions included elaborate illustrated rolls, such as genealogical chronicles like the 15th-century Canterbury Roll, which depicted royal lineages in panoramic, sequential imagery to convey historical continuity. In religious settings, scrolls persisted for ceremonial purposes; Torah scrolls remained central to synagogue worship, ritually unrolled for readings, while in churches, medieval Exultet rolls—illuminated parchments used for Easter proclamations—exemplified the format's role in liturgical performance, with images designed to be viewed upside-down by the congregation.^[53]^[54] The scroll's legacy extended into modern forms, influencing artistic innovations and practical storage. In the 19th century, moving panoramas—vast painted scrolls unrolled mechanically to depict sequential scenes, such as battles or landscapes—drew directly from the scroll's narrative unfolding, becoming a popular entertainment medium with examples like the Mississippi River panoramas exceeding 300 feet in length.^[55] Volvelles, rotating paper charts evolving from medieval designs, saw 19th-century revivals in educational tools, echoing the scroll's layered revelation of information.^[56] Metaphorically, the act of "unrolling history" in literature evokes the scroll's progressive disclosure, as seen in analyses of medieval political culture where rolls symbolized the linear progression of dynastic narratives.^[57] Revivals in the 19th and 20th centuries highlighted the scroll's enduring practicality. Legal rolls in British manorial courts, recording land tenures and disputes, continued until the mid-20th century, with some rolls extending to 1954. For archival purposes, oversized maps and blueprints were routinely stored rolled in tubes to prevent creasing, a method standardized in conservation practices by the 20th century to preserve large-format documents.^[58] These uses affirmed the scroll's incomplete obsolescence, bridging ancient traditions with contemporary needs.

Modern Technology and Applications

Archaeological and Digital Recovery

Modern efforts to recover ancient scrolls emphasize non-invasive techniques to access content without physical damage to fragile artifacts. X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning enables virtual unrolling by generating detailed 3D images of the scroll's internal structure, allowing researchers to digitally flatten layers and reveal hidden text. This method has been pivotal for the carbonized Herculaneum papyri, recovered from the Villa of the Papyri buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, through initiatives like the Vesuvius Challenge launched in 2023, which combines CT data with machine learning for text extraction.^[59]^[60] Synchrotron imaging complements CT by providing high-resolution X-ray phase-contrast scans that detect subtle differences in material density, particularly for identifying ink on papyrus. Unlike conventional X-rays, synchrotron sources produce intense, tunable beams that enhance visibility of carbon-based or metallic inks without unrolling the scroll, addressing challenges where traditional inks blend with the substrate. This technique has been applied to Herculaneum scrolls to map ink distribution and trace ancient writing practices, such as the use of lead- or copper-based inks in Greco-Roman texts.^[61]^[62] A landmark application occurred in 2016 with the En-Gedi Scroll, a carbonized Hebrew manuscript from the 3rd or 4th century CE discovered near the Dead Sea, where CT scanning and volume rendering software virtually unwrapped the artifact to reveal portions of the Book of Leviticus—the first biblical text recovered from this site without physical intervention. Similarly, the Vesuvius Challenge achieved breakthroughs in 2024, when AI models trained on ink detection segmented and transcribed over 2,000 characters from an unopened Herculaneum scroll, uncovering philosophical writings attributed to the Epicurean thinker Philodemus on pleasure and music, comprising about 5% of the scroll's content. In 2025, further progress included the AI-assisted revelation of a scroll title attributed to Philodemus on vices.^[63]^[64]^[65]^[66] Preservation of carbonized scrolls presents significant challenges due to their brittleness from exposure to extreme heat during ancient fires, which turns papyrus into a coal-like material prone to crumbling upon handling. Ethical concerns arise in balancing scientific inquiry with artifact integrity, as even minor manipulations risk irreversible loss; thus, non-invasive digital methods are prioritized to comply with international heritage standards, ensuring long-term stewardship while enabling global scholarly access.^[67]^[23]

Contemporary Designs and Uses

In contemporary digital interfaces, scroll bars have become a fundamental element of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, particularly in web browsers. Introduced in early graphical web browsers like NCSA Mosaic in 1993, scroll bars enabled users to navigate content longer than the viewport, mimicking the physical act of unrolling a scroll.^[68] This feature was refined and popularized by Netscape Navigator in 1994, establishing vertical and horizontal scroll bars as standard for handling overflow text and images in HTML documents.^[69] A more immersive evolution, infinite scrolling, eliminates discrete pagination by continuously loading content as users scroll, enhancing seamlessness on platforms like social media. Invented by interface designer Aza Raskin in 2006 as part of the Humanized Reader project, it was designed to reduce friction in content consumption.^[70] Twitter (now X) implemented infinite scrolling in its web redesign in September 2010, allowing users to browse timelines without page reloads, which significantly boosted engagement by fostering prolonged sessions.^[71] Artistic and practical revivals of scrolls persist in religious and technological contexts, blending tradition with innovation. Modern Torah scrolls are meticulously handcrafted by trained scribes (soferim) using kosher parchment from animal hides, special ink, and quill pens, following ancient rabbinic guidelines to ensure ritual purity; the process can take 1.5 to 2 years for a single scroll.^[72] In digital media, panoramic photo scrolls emulate the unfolding narrative of historical scrolls through interactive interfaces, such as Google Street View, launched in 2007, where users virtually "unroll" 360-degree panoramas by panning and scrolling across global landscapes.^[73] Research into flexible e-ink displays in the 2020s has revived the physical form of rolled scrolls in prototype electronics. E Ink's flexible displays, such as those using Mobius technology with plastic TFT backplanes, feature bistable, low-power electrophoretic displays that can be rolled into compact cylinders without losing functionality, targeting applications like wearable devices and portable readers. These innovations prioritize energy efficiency—drawing power only during content updates—and durability, echoing the portability of ancient scrolls while enabling modern uses in sustainable tech.^[74]^[75] In cultural applications, scrolls appear as symbolic elements in gaming and diplomacy. In role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), introduced in 1974, spell scrolls function as consumable inventory items that allow characters to cast spells without expending spell slots, provided the spell is on their class list; activation involves reading the mystical script, after which the scroll disintegrates, adding strategic depth to resource management. Commemorative rolls, such as replicas of the United Nations Charter signed in 1945, are produced as ceremonial scrolls for diplomatic events and exhibitions, preserving the document's text on rolled parchment to evoke historical gravitas and facilitate public display.^[76]

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Aug 5, 2025 · The Joshua Roll is the only illuminated manuscript in scroll form to survive from the Middle Byzantine period, dating to the 10th century.
[29]
Early Qurʾānic Scrolls from the Qubbat al-khazna and their links ...
Sep 7, 2022 · This contribution aims to reconsider some early Qurʾānic parchment scrolls once stored in Damascus Qubbat al-khazna and currently preserved in Istanbul.
[30]
Medieval Book Production and Monastic Life - Sites at Dartmouth
May 24, 2016 · The process of medieval copying, however biblical or holy, was highly taxing. Cassiodorus' over-enthused attitude about copying the good word ...
[31]
Court of Common Pleas: Plea Rolls | The National Archives
The series of plea rolls of the Court of Common Pleas from the beginning of the reign of Edward I onwards. Each roll covers a term and is made up from ...
[32]
[PDF] A Dictionary of English Manuscript Terminology, 1450 to 2000 - Turuz
Feb 3, 2011 · ... Clerk of the Scrow (Rotulorum Clericus) meaning Clerk of the Rolls or Clerk of the Register. Compare escrow. scrutoire. See bureau. sea chart.<|separator|>
[33]
BPG East Asian Book Formats - MediaWiki - Conservation Wiki
Feb 23, 2024 · The whirlwind binding developed during the Tang dynasty (618–907). Many were rebound during the Song dynasty (960-1279) therefore few historic ...
[34]
Japanese Illustrated Handscrolls - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Nov 1, 2012 · For instance, a type of handscroll called ko-e was particularly popular during the mid-fifteenth to mid-sixteenth century. These small scrolls ...
[35]
http://library.huc.edu/pdf/theses/Jilovsky_Esther_Sarah-LA-Rab-2021_rdf.pdf
[36]
Paper in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica - History of Information
This was a form of paper made by boiling the inner bark of several species of trees, particularly fig trees Offsite Link (genus Ficus) such as F ...
[37]
soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Torah and Halachic Authority (3/12) - faqs.org
A scroll made from kosher animal parchment, with the entire text of the Five Books of Moses written in it by a sofer [ritual scribe]. This is the most ...
[38]
[PDF] writing jewish sacred texts: reading tractate soferim
A handwritten scroll, written on parchment formed from the hide of a kosher animal is a relic from the publishing industry of two millennia ago. Other Jewish ...
[39]
Letters - The Watchman
A Torah scroll is written on scored cow hide with special black ink and quill. Each page is then sewn to the previous page using gut from a kosher animal.
[40]
Between Hand and Scroll: Torah Pointers from the Barr Collection
Feb 2, 2025 · Using a yad helps the reader keep their place in the text and maintains ritual separation between hand and scroll, reflecting a broader Jewish ...
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Why Jews Read Torah on a Yearly Cycle | My Jewish Learning
In addition, this pattern enables the congregation to read from Genesis through Deuteronomy each year, providing for an annual celebration of Simchat Torah.
[42]
The Dead Sea Scrolls - Introduction
### Summary of Dead Sea Scrolls Dates and Discovery Info (Jewish Context)
[43]
Why Did Early Christians Prefer the Codex to the Bookroll?
Nov 28, 2018 · Evidence shows that the preserved early Christian manuscripts are more often codices (plural of codex) than the then-established bookrolls.Missing: 2nd | Show results with:2nd
[44]
Exhibitions & Events | University of Cincinnati - UC Libraries
Exultet roll with angels. The Exultet Scroll (second shelf from the top on the left) is a Christian liturgical text from the Middle Ages (ca. 980) read on ...
[45]
The Tale of Two Thangkas: A Digital Journey | 4 Corners of the World
Nov 30, 2020 · Two rare Tibetan traditional hand-painted scrolls called thangkas have been digitized by the Library of Congress.
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[PDF] A STUDY OF THE ICONOGRAPHY, STYLE, AND ORIGIN OF ...
Though the iconography and inscription of these thangkas is decidedly Tibetan, the paintings were probably done by a workshop of. Nepali craftsmen. Such a ...
[47]
Patterns of Processing and Writing Palm leaf Manuscripts - jstor
Since years scribes have recorded a large amount of India's literary and scientific heritage on the available palm leaves and thousands of these are still ...
[48]
[PDF] Tradition of Palm Leaf Manuscripts in Orissa - E-Magazine....::...
The palm leaf manuscripts on Shrutis (Vedic Texts), Smritis (Dharmasastra), the Puranas including Ramayana as well as Mahabharata and Bhagabata were presented ...<|separator|>
[49]
[PDF] Goryeo Buddhist Painting in an Interregional Context
“GoryEo BuddhisT pAiNTiNG” designates a corpus of early Korean hanging scrolls, close to 160 in number, that has increasingly become the focus of interna- ...
[50]
On the Periphery of Goryeo Buddhist Painting
... 14th centuries revealed that Goryeo Buddhist paintings were enshrined in various places such as Buddhist halls on palace grounds, royal shrines, shrines big ...Missing: 10th- inked
[51]
[PDF] Signs of Power: Talismanic Writing in Chinese Buddhism
Throughout much of the ancient world talismans or amulets written in an esoteric script were worn or ingested in order to repel the demonic and.Missing: rolls | Show results with:rolls
[52]
[PDF] THE THREE SOVEREIGNS TRADITION: TALISMANS, ELIXIRS ...
This dissertation attempts to elucidate the origins and nature of the lost Sanhuang wen (Writ of the Three Sovereigns), and identify its surviving fragments ...<|separator|>
[53]
THE MATERIALITY OF COLOR IN PRE-COLUMBIAN CODICES
Mar 16, 2017 · This article explores the materiality of the colors of some Nahua codices from pre-Columbian Mexico, comparing data obtained from two bodies of evidence.
[54]
https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2018/03/rare-medieval-liturgica-exsultet-roll.html
[55]
[PDF] A New Look at the Origins of a Controversial African Term for Bard
In the nineteenth century, Bérenger-Féraud proposed the Wolof term gueroual or guewoual for griot (1882). More recently, the Nigerian scholar. Oumarou Watta ( ...Missing: scrolls | Show results with:scrolls
[56]
[PDF] The mnemonic oral tradition with special reference to the ...
Abstract. The mnemonic oral tradition with special reference to the management and expression of conflict in Zulu-speaking communities.Missing: scrolls | Show results with:scrolls
[57]
The Copies of Magna Carta - Magna Carta 1215
This single sheet copy of Magna Carta is written on a long roll of parchment approximately 122 mm by 635 mm. One side is covered fully with 152 lines of text.
[58]
The Torah and its adornment - Smarthistory
Oct 3, 2022 · To protect and preserve the Torah scrolls, ornate stone and wooden cabinets, known as Torah arks, were built in synagogues. Described as a “holy ...
[59]
Rare Medieval Liturgica: The Exsultet Roll - Liturgical Arts Journal
Mar 28, 2018 · Exsultet rolls were long parchment scrolls used in southern Italy to display the Exsultet hymn's text and chants with related illuminations. ...
[60]
[PDF] The Moving Panorama, a Forgotten Mass Medium of the 19th ...
Panoramas enjoyed widespread popularity in the 19th century. By a panorama we usually mean a circular 360 degree panoramic painting shown in a cylindrical ...
[61]
Decoding the Medieval Volvelle | Getty Iris
Jul 23, 2015 · Volvelles are concentric paper or parchment circles used in medieval Europe to calculate the phases of the sun and moon.
[62]
(PDF) Surrounded by Ancestors: Depiction of Luxembourg and ...
For further reading about the use of rolls in medieval propaganda, see Shirota, Unrolling History. Surrounded by Ancestors: Depiction of Luxembourg and ...
[63]
Conserve O Gram 13/5: Rolled Storage for Oversized Paper Materials
Rolled storage can provide safe and effective housing. Appropriate materials and techniques will help ensure long-term preservation.
[64]
Verifiable Recovery of Text from Herculaneum Papyri using X-ray CT
We present a complete software pipeline for revealing the hidden texts of the Herculaneum papyri using X-ray CT images.
[65]
Vesuvius Challenge
Vesuvius Challenge is a machine learning, computer vision, and geometry competition that is reading the carbonized Herculaneum scrolls & has awarded $1,500,000 ...Won 2023 Grand Prize... · Get Started · Open Prizes · Jobs
[66]
Tracking ink composition on Herculaneum papyrus scrolls - Nature
Feb 8, 2016 · New insight on ancient cosmetic preparation by synchrotron-based infrared microscopy. Anal. Chim. Acta 553, 105–110, doi: 10.1016/j.aca ...<|separator|>
[67]
Uncovering ancient text from the Oxford Herculaneum scroll
Feb 5, 2025 · The unique capabilities of synchrotron X-rays have enabled this significant advancement in imaging ancient texts. Diamond is thrilled to be ...
[68]
From damage to discovery via virtual unwrapping - Science
Sep 21, 2016 · The systematic digital analysis of the extremely fragile En-Gedi scroll (the oldest Pentateuchal scroll in Hebrew outside of the Dead Sea ...
[69]
Vesuvius Challenge 2023 Grand Prize awarded: we can read the ...
Feb 5, 2024 · With Vesuvius Challenge, we hope not only to solve the problem of reading the Herculaneum Papyri, but also to inspire similar projects. For that ...
[70]
Inside the AI Competition That Decoded an Ancient Herculaneum ...
Mar 19, 2024 · In early February 2024 the Vesuvius Challenge awarded them the $700,000 Grand Prize. The readable text comprises around 5 percent of the ...
[71]
Buried by the Ash of Vesuvius, These Scrolls Are Being Read for the ...
It comes from a scroll found in Herculaneum, an ancient Roman resort on the Bay of Naples, Italy, that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.<|separator|>
[72]
History of the Web | Web Browser Engineering
This chapter dives into the history of the web itself: where it came from, and how the web and browsers have evolved to date.
[73]
The History of the Browser Wars: When Netscape Met Microsoft
Jun 19, 2017 · Originally slated to be called Mosaic, the browser they released to the world became known (mostly for legal reasons) as Netscape Navigator, and ...
[74]
Why the rise of the 'infinite scroll' does not mean the death of long ...
Oct 9, 2023 · When interface designer Aza Raskin created the 'infinite scroll' in 2006 – enabling users to endlessly move up or down through content with ...
[75]
Twitter Redesigned: Endless Scrolling, In-Line Media, More
Sep 15, 2010 · Twitter Redesigned: Endless Scrolling, In-Line Media, More. By Chris Davies Sept. 15, 2010 3:45 am EST.
[76]
How Is the Torah Made? - Chabad.org
The sheets of parchment are then sewn together with sinews to form one long scroll. While most Torah scrolls stand around two feet in height and weigh 20-25 ...
[77]
Explore Street View and add your own 360 images to Google Maps.
360 imagery helps you know where to go and what to expect when traveling. Explore world-famous landmarks, galleries, and museums right from your device.Contribute · Street View · Street View Studio · How it worksMissing: scrolls | Show results with:scrolls
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Flexible｜E Ink Technology
A flexible display has several benefits outside of the flexibility of the display itself. Plastic-based TFTs allow the end product to be substantially lighter ...Missing: 2020s | Show results with:2020s
[79]
Top 5 Ways E Ink Displays Are Transforming Modern Design
Oct 6, 2025 · The flexible nature of the technology means displays can bend, curve, and even fold without breaking. For designers tired of working around the ...
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https://www.collectorbazar.com/item/united-nations-1965-definitive-issue-scroll-of-un-charter-stylized-un-emblem-with-building-with-original-08-stamps-732050