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The Voynich manuscript is one of the biggest riddles in the entire world, and has remained unsolved for centuries. The manuscript is bound in calfskin vellum. After it was carbon-dated, experts determined that it was created in the early years of the 15th century. They also believe it came from Northern Italy. It is about 240 pages long, some of which cleverly fold out, although it is believed that some are missing.
But what is truly amazing about this manuscript is its content. It is written in a script indecipherable by any living soul, despite basically using the Latin alphabet. It also features illustrations of what seem like fantastical plants (or are they?) on many of its pages. Experts have tried to unravel the mystery of this script for centuries without success. Thousands of cryptographers, including Allied code breakers during both world wars, tried and failed. It is believed that the number of characters used may be anywhere from 15 to 40. Click on the photos to see them in FULL SIZE |
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Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University ~ The biological chapter contains a lot of text together with depictions of nude women in pools connected by pipes. |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| ~ The astronomical chapter shows celestial diagrams, including common zodiac symbols. ~ The cosmological chapter shows esoteric circular diagrams. Some of these fold out. |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
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| Image: Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University |
| Experts aren't any closer to deciphering the manuscript's mysteries today than they were three centuries ago. What do YOU think this book is really about? |
