“the most mysterious manuscript in the world” · introduction voynich’s finding voynich’s...

“The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World”

Thorsten Schilling

Selmer Center

April 27, 2010

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 1 / 18

Introduction The Discovery

Around 1912 . . .

Antiquarian Voynichaquires 30 manuscripts

Among them encipheredmanuscript

Estimated 13th century

Figure: Wilfrid M. Voynich

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 2 / 18

Introduction Voynich’s Finding

Voynich’s Finding

18cm × 25cm book

≈ 240 vellum pages

Colored drawings

“Large” portions of text

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Introduction Voynich’s Finding

Plants

Arround 126 drawings ofplants

Text flowing arround

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 4 / 18

Introduction Voynich’s Finding

Stars

Diagrams and “star-charts”

Up to 6 pages

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Introduction Voynich’s Finding

Text

≈ 170.000 characters ofunknown script

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 6 / 18

Cryptanalysis First Attempts

Attempts to Solve the Manuscript

Voynich provideseverybody interested withreproductionsMany theories of theauthorship

I Roger BaconI John DeeI Leonardo da VinciI Edward Kelly . . .

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 7 / 18

Cryptanalysis First Attempts

Micrography

Tiny markings in the text

Additional Substitutionand Permutation

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 8 / 18

Cryptanalysis First Attempts

William Romaine Newbold

Lecturer in Philosophy atUniversity of Pennsylvania

Recieves 3 pages fromVoynich in 1919

“Solves” it with themicrography theory

Author: Roger Bacon(1214–1294)Plaintext containsdescriptions about

I MicroscopeI GalaxiesI etc.

But . . .

Figure: William R. Newbold

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 9 / 18

Cryptanalysis First Attempts

William Romaine Newbold

Lecturer in Philosophy atUniversity of Pennsylvania

Recieves 3 pages fromVoynich in 1919

“Solves” it with themicrography theory

Author: Roger Bacon(1214–1294)Plaintext containsdescriptions about

I MicroscopeI GalaxiesI etc.

But . . .

Figure: William R. Newbold

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 9 / 18

Cryptanalysis First Attempts

William Romaine Newbold

Lecturer in Philosophy atUniversity of Pennsylvania

Recieves 3 pages fromVoynich in 1919

“Solves” it with themicrography theory

Author: Roger Bacon(1214–1294)Plaintext containsdescriptions about

I MicroscopeI GalaxiesI etc.

But . . .

Figure: William R. Newbold

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 9 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Another Look at the Text

Written from the left to theright

≈ 170.000 glyphs

≈ 35.000 words ofvarying length

20− 30 distinct glyphs

≈ 12 rare characters

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Cryptanalysis Other Theories

More Properties

≈ 10-bit entropy/wordI English/Old-

German/Latin

Letter frequencies“similar” to europeanlanguages

No words > 10 glyphs

Only few 1− 2 glyphwords

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 11 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

More Properties

≈ 10-bit entropy/wordI English/Old-

German/Latin

Letter frequencies“similar” to europeanlanguages

No words > 10 glyphs

Only few 1− 2 glyphwords

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 11 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Signal Intelligence Agency

Simple monoalphabeticciphers can be excluded

First digitalization (onpunch cards)

War over . . .

Figure: William Friedman

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 12 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Signal Intelligence Agency

Simple monoalphabeticciphers can be excluded

First digitalization (onpunch cards)

War over . . .

Figure: William Friedman

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 12 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Polyalphabetic Cipher

Known since 14th century

Cipher discs

Usually destroys thestatistical properties tosome extend

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 13 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Polyalphabetic Cipher

Known since 14th century

Cipher discs

Usually destroys thestatistical properties tosome extend

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 13 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Steganography

Cardan Grille

Attributed to GirolamoCardano (1501-1576)

Arbitrarily hard to findsolution

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Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Steganography

Cardan Grille

Attributed to GirolamoCardano (1501-1576)

Arbitrarily hard to findsolution

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 14 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Exotic Natural or Constructed Language

Jacques Guy:I ThaiI Khmer . . .I Persian example:

Forest Jangal

Plant GiahStar Setare

Invented LanguagesI Lingua Ignota (12th

century)I RoI Codebook

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 15 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Exotic Natural or Constructed Language

Jacques Guy:I ThaiI Khmer . . .I Persian example:

Forest Jangal

Plant GiahStar Setare

Invented LanguagesI Lingua Ignota (12th

century)I RoI Codebook

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 15 / 18

Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Hoax

Fabrication by Voynich

Earlier Fabrication

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Cryptanalysis Other Theories

Hoax

Fabrication by Voynich

Earlier Fabrication

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 16 / 18

Facts

Facts

C14 dating (done 2009)between 1404 and 1438Hoax possible but “notvery plausible”

I Vellum at this size wasvery expensive

Beinecke Rare Book andManuscript Library at YaleUniversity

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Facts

Facts

C14 dating (done 2009)between 1404 and 1438Hoax possible but “notvery plausible”

I Vellum at this size wasvery expensive

Beinecke Rare Book andManuscript Library at YaleUniversity

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 17 / 18

Conclusion

Conclusion

Author and contentremain unknown (> 600years)

Only certain is the dateTons of material and“bogus”

I “On Alien-Writing”I Esoteric books with

“solutions” etc.

Romanesque Castle

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 18 / 18

Conclusion

Conclusion

Author and contentremain unknown (> 600years)

Only certain is the dateTons of material and“bogus”

I “On Alien-Writing”I Esoteric books with

“solutions” etc.

Romanesque Castle

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 18 / 18

Conclusion

Conclusion

Author and contentremain unknown (> 600years)

Only certain is the dateTons of material and“bogus”

I “On Alien-Writing”I Esoteric books with

“solutions” etc.

Romanesque Castle

Thorsten Schilling (Selmer Center) The Voynich Manuscript April 27, 2010 18 / 18