Tombstones as a whole offer great insight into the Muslim
world of the Middle Ages. They serve to describe the people to whom they are
dedicated, as well as offer clues regarding the culture and customs of the
time. The writing and/or calligraphy present on most tombstones present
numerous questions. What motivated this artistic writing? What sorts of people
had tombstones with such calligraphy? Thus, further questions arise regarding
those who transcribed the lives of so many people. Who were the creators of
such careful, religious art, and what motivated these people?
Otloh of
St. Emmeram describes his job as a scribe as consisting of two types of work:
writing for himself and writing for others. In the passage that we read, Otloh
explained that his personal work focused on his own experiences and the
temptations that arose from them. He then explained that his work for others
was at his own discretion but that he did copy at least 19 missals for his
brothers, as well as several Gospels and epistles. From this, it can be induced
that scribes of the Middle Ages geared their work (in at least some capacity)
to the needs of others. Thus, tombstone calligraphy could have been “commissioned.”
While it appears that scribes worked out of good will, it is also quite
possible that they were paid for their work, especially in the context of
tombstones. Plausibly, the majority of tombstones did not have such artistic
and abundant calligraphy. Only those of a certain status could presumably
afford or be afforded such writing on their tombstones (depending upon whether
financial or social status determined eligibility).
On the
topic of calligraphy specifically, BBC characterizes calligraphy as a sacred
art that is representative of the beauty and mystery of the Qur’an. Calligraphy
also served to create some tangible basis for the Qur’an, which was formerly an
oral text. The art of such text served to “evoke the harmony of God’s creation,
which is reflected in the ordered, geometrical style of the text.” In this way,
the calligraphy of tombstones might have served to liken a person’s life to
this harmony…to praise his/her goodness/good deeds. The calligraphy could have
been a token to a well-lived life or a token of a person who desired to be
remembered, regardless of the quality of their life. Additionally, tombstone
calligraphy could have signaled a holy life or at least a person’s attempt to
emulate the teaching of God. In this way, the calligraphy would have acted as a
sort of praise to the individual, commemorating a life worth living.
On another
note, the precision and visual appeal of the characters speak to the time and
effort devoted to writing in the medieval world. The careful carving of the characters
into the stone/marble demonstrates this precision, with each character well-defined
despite clumping. This shows that the job of the scribe was taken quite seriously.
Whether for money or not, scribal projects (such as this tombstone) seem to
have been handled with great care and concern. It must have taken scribes
unimaginably long to carefully carve messages such as this one. It also must
have been a great honor to be selected to scribe such messages. If there was a
system of publicity and exposure anything like that of today’s world, any
opportunity to showcase his skills would have been beneficial to the scribe. Any
work of the scribe was an everlasting mark. Especially with words carved into
stone/marble, the scribe message would have been preserved for generations.
Also of
note, the writing on the tombstone appears to get smaller towards the bottom.
This discrepancy in size could distinguish between more important and less
important text. Perhaps the scribe was instructed to emphasize certain
accomplishment and/or features of the deceased. Perhaps the enlarged text
signifies an important verse from the Qur’an, given center stage out of respect
(or fear). Given that only the lower half of the tombstone survives, the
enlarged text begs the question: what is missing? Was the text on the upper
half of the tombstone a mix of large and small characters? Was the calligraphy
constant throughout? How much of the tombstone is actually missing? Such is the
mystery of history.
Thus, relating
back to my first post, tombstone inscriptions offered an example of popular
practice pitted against canonical beliefs. Text meant for God was used in
popular culture. Calligraphy, thus, must have been viewed as a link between God
and man for the deceased, symbolic of the afterlife. While the lot of the
inscription’s purpose remains a mystery, the aforementioned speculations/inductively-reasoned
ideas serve to offer at least a broad portrait of writing in the Middle Ages.
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