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The great variety of manuscripts found in the Turfan oasis at the Start of the twentieth Century by Grünwedel and Le Coq reflects the cultural backgrounds of, and communication among, the people who travelled along the network of Eurasian trade routes. Specifically, this Connection is directly reflected by the use and distribution of inks, pigments, and papers. Research is now underway to examine these and a report on the initial findings is given below.
The collection Manuscripta Americana in Berlin consists of fragmented codices acquired by Alexander von Humboldt in Mexico. Some of these Humboldt Codices are published as hieroglyphic writings of the Aztecs in “Vues des Cordilleres et Monuments des Peuples indigènes de l’Amerique”. Starting from a special compilation of seven fragments on plate 36 in the “Atlas”, we investigated the corresponding original fragments using material analysis in order to clarify their historical relations. The analyses were carried out with X-ray fluorescence analysis, VIS spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy in diffuse reflection and revealed typical indigenous colors like cochineal, indigo, and organic yellows (e.g. mangrove and zacatlaxcalli). Four fragments under investigation show exactly the same material and thus must once have belonged together in one compendium. An additional manuscript from Mizquiahuala also shown on plate 36 can be matched to another one that is not published in the “Atlas”.