Writing
Most scribes can only spend a few hours each day writing as they usually have other jobs to perform for the church and also have a plot of land and animals to tend. The Sinksar, a large book having about 400 sides, will typically take a scribe about eight to twelve months to complete if he works on average two to three hours a day.
The scribe usually works sitting on the floor, or on a very low stool, with the parchment balanced on one knee.
Immediately prior to writing, the surface of the parchment is rubbed with a very fine grained stone to smooth the surface and remove any fatty deposits that might still remain.
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Writing a sample page Merigita Fenti Indelew, Debre Kera Maryam, April 2001 |
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Writing a Sinksar Qés Fenti Mehret, Gelawdiwos, December 2000 |
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Writing a sample page Qés Misganew Asaye, Gimb Giyorgis, April 2001 |
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Demonstrating to a student Merigita Hulgizé Nurilign, Zigora Gebriel, November 2000 |
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Student practising on a leaf Melkamu Ewenatu, Gimb Giyorgis, April 2001 |
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Scribes discussing work Qés Misganew Asaye and QésYohanis Melese, Gono Gebriel, April 2001 |