Printed Texts

The British Newspaper Archive. (n.d.). [Digital Image] Caledonian Mercury. The British Library. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/titles/caledonian-mercury.

The first artifact is a printed paper from the Caledonian Mercury newspaper created in Edinburgh, Scotland, on February 6, 1866. The creator's purpose of the Caledonian newspaper was to spread worldwide and local information and events. The newspapers were produced in large quantities, and the company published their papers three times every week. The creator's goals were probably to gain high demand and make income because printed newspapers were a popular way to gain knowledge. (The British Newspaper Archive, 2013)

Making newspapers required the use of some tools. The tools needed are paper made from wood. Then sheets of paper were put into a press and inked whatever was being displayed repetitively. At the time of its creation, the newspaper company "wasn't as popular as its competitors" (The British Newspaper Archive, 2013) but still functioned as an avenue to communicate information on events that happened. Now it serves as a piece of history containing detailed knowledge of the past and a reminder of old methods used to create it. Other newspapers are still produced today, but the Caledonian Mercury was discontinued and can now be found online.


Library of Congress. (n.d.). [Digital Image] Guang yu tu : er jaun. Library of Congress.
https://www.loc.gove/item/2008623187/.

This second artifact is a book of maps and documents called Guang yu tu : er juan, which was created in 1558 in China. The creator's purpose was to give information on "the great wall of china, the defense structures of the military towns, the number of soldiers and horses stationed in the surrounding cities, and their ethnic groups"(Luo, n.d.). The creator's goals were most likely to spread information by written words and visuals of locations and other knowledge of places. The system used to create these maps was woodblock printing.

The tools used to create them were paper, ink, wood, and a sharp object. The wood was cut in a specific way where the cut pieces aren't shown when printed. The wood was dipped into ink and then pressed onto the papers. (Luo, n.d.) These maps are historical for China but also the world. It most likely functioned as a tool to assist in defenses and show boundaries and other geographical information during its creation period. Now they serve as examples of woodblock printing methods and display where people were located and who during this military era.

Cheongju Early Printing Museum. (n.d.). [Digital Image] Jiki. Google Arts & Culture.
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-invention-of-movable-metal-type-goryeo-technology-and-wisdom/jQLywilonG6klg.

This last artifact is a document from the oldest movable metal type book titled Jiki. Jiki was created in 1377 at Heungdeoska Temple, Cheoniju. The creator's purpose in creating the book was to document the knowledge and teachings of Buddha. The book was crafted with lots of different tools. One of them is moveable metal-type printing. The movable metal-type printing method was created in Korea during the Goryeo dynasty to solve the old communication problems that came with transcribing. Transcribing was slow, and mistakes were often made. (Google Arts & Culture, n.d.)

The tools needed to print the book were ink and paper and the movable metal type press. A metal cast was molded into whatever letter pr image needed to be documented, and then the metal was pressed down into ink and onto paper. At its creation, the book Jiki was most likely used in religious practice and not as a common reading. Today the book is a treasure and symbol for Buddhism and a great example of how moveable metal type was used.

References

Luo, H. (n.d.). Guang yu tu : er juan. The Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/lcnclscd.2008623187.1A001/?sp=1

The British Newspaper Archive. (2013, February 10). Caledonian Mercury. Caledonian Mercury in British Newspaper Archive. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/titles/caledonian-mercury

Google Arts & Culture. (n.d.). The invention of movable metal type: Goryeo technology and Wisdom - Cheongju Early Printing Museum. Google. https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-invention-of-movable-metal-type-goryeo-technology-and-wisdom/jQLywilonG6kIg


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