The word illuminated manuscripts means "written and decorated or embellished works done by hand." These manuscripts were beautifully decorated, they could be as simple as just an enlarged capital letter at the beginning of a chapter or section or they could use small compositions or designs for the text called miniatures. Usually, the text of the manuscripts was written first and would leave open spaces reserved for the illuminated miniatures and initials. As you can …showed first 75 words of 567 total…

…showed last 75 words of 567 total…flexibility was perfect for making books. They would actually kill the animal while still in the womb, for perfect smoothness and cleanliness. There are five actually known oldest illustrated manuscripts which include the Itala, The Vatican Vergil, The Ambrosian Iliad, the Codex Romanus and Agrimensoria. All are believed to be written between the 4th and 6th century. Works cited include: The Art of Illuminated Manuscripts, The History of Illuminated Manuscripts, and The Fiero book Volume 2.