These are just some of the recent claims. I haven't seen any follow-ups on the theory since, though perhaps it is because a translation has not quite been completed.
The university announced that the code had been broken, but the following day retracted the claim, saying it was not so sure. His theory was that it was in a proto-Romance language, compiled by Dominican nuns for Maria of Castile.
Gerard Cheshire, associated with Bristol University, declared he had cracked the code in two weeks time. Others have tried to identify the manuscript based on perceived similarities to European languages, but those similarities have never been sufficient to provide a translation.Ī year ago, Dr. Another is that it is an herbal, a self-created physician's journal from the 15 th century to be used in curing his patients. That is based on perceived similarities between illustrated plants and those found in America. One far-out theory is that it was produced in South America by a sect that escaped persecution in Europe pre-Columbus. Some have tried to interpret the manuscript based on the illustrations, even if the language is indecipherable. Kraus gave the manuscript to the Yale University Library in 1969 where it remains today. Voynich did not sell the manuscript, but his widow later did, to New York dealer H. Obviously, he is not its creator, but he purchased it in 1912. The Voynich Manuscript is named for Wilfred Voynich, an early twentieth century Polish bookseller. Nonetheless, though written in some language, with recurring patterns, no one has yet been able to identify the language or produce a translation. It is not thought to be some sort of forgery. It is generally believed to be authentic, though some think it was created perhaps a century later in date. The manuscript depicts mainly plants, baths, and naked women. The vellum has been carbon dated to 1403-1438. Has the mystery finally been unraveled?įor those unfamiliar with the Voynich Manuscript, it is this beautifully illustrated document, written on vellum produced in the 15 th century. Many have tried to break this code, almost as many have claimed to, and yet the language of this extraordinary ancient document has remained unknown. Yale University Press, 2016, hardcover, 304 pages.At last, the code to the mysterious Voynich Manuscript has been broken. Instead, as New York Times best-selling author Deborah Harkness says in her introduction, the book “invites the reader to join us at the heart of the mystery.” The essays that accompany the manuscript explain what we have learned about this work-from alchemical, cryptographic, forensic, and historical perspectives-but they provide few definitive answers. For the first time, this facsimile, complete with elaborate folding sections, allows readers to explore this enigma in all its stunning detail, from its one-of-a-kind “Voynichese” text to its illustrations of otherworldly plants, unfamiliar constellations, and naked women swimming though fantastical tubes and green baths. The book’s language has eluded decipherment, and its elaborate illustrations remain as baffling as they are beautiful. The manuscript appears and disappears throughout history, from the library of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to a secret sale of books in 1903 by the Society of Jesus in Rome. Written in an unknown script by an unknown author, the manuscript has no clearer purpose now than when it was rediscovered in 1912 by rare books dealer Wilfrid Voynich. Many call the fifteenth-century codex, commonly known as the “Voynich Manuscript,” the world’s most mysterious book. The Voynich Manuscript is produced from new photographs of the entire original and accompanied by expert essays that invite anyone to understand and explore the enigma. The first authorized copy of this mysterious, much-speculated-upon, one-of-a-kind, centuries-old puzzle. Edited by Raymond Clemens with an Introduction by Deborah Harkness