Identifying manuscripts and papyri
Parchment, papyrus, and paper — and the fragments that survive.
Support identifies first: papyrus shows a woven-looking grid of plant strips; parchment (animal skin) is smooth with follicle patterns and distinct hair/flesh sides; laid paper (pre-c.1800) shows ladder-like chain lines and possibly a watermark against light; wove paper is even-textured and later.
Script dates text: uncials, carolingian minuscule, gothic textura, secretary hand — each belongs to centuries you can look up. Manuscript fragments often survive as binder's waste, reused inside later book covers, so a strip of medieval music or scripture inside a 17th-century binding is a known, delightful find.
Light, humidity, and handling are the enemies: store flat, dark, and dry, and photograph rather than repeatedly handling. Record dimensions, support, script style, and legible words. Papyri and early fragments have serious provenance ethics — document origin and seek institutional advice for anything potentially ancient.
More on religious objects
Identifying pilgrim badges and ampullae
Identifying scarabs and amulets