Resumen: esta entrada, publicada con motivo del Día internacional de las mujeres en 2024, presenta de manera resumida las conclusiones de una publicación científica en la que se ofrece la identificación de la escritura de Ana Comnena en el manuscrito escurialense Ω-II-13.

Puedes leer también la noticia en Marginalia, el blog de la Biblioteca Real de Madrid, y en la página de CCHS del CSIC.

We publish this entry on the occasion of the celebration of the International Women’s Day 2024. We offer the new identification of Anna Komnene’s handwriting in the MS Escorial Ω-II-13, a codex with Homilies of John Chrysostom erroneously dated until now to the 13th century. This text presents the summary of the conclusions of a scientific publication that will appear imminently.

In the Middle Ages, women did not usually perform professional tasks; to do so implied free interaction with customers and suppliers, and such freedom of movement was certainly contrary to the principles of a patriarchal society. However, this statement, which is valid for all Christian societies, Western and Eastern, is not always justified: in precarious economies such as those of the Middle Ages, no one could prevent women from working in the production and sale of all kinds of goods to meet the needs of their families. On the other hand, when a craft activity was carried out within a familial environment, the father could pass on to his daughter the necessary knowledge to perform it.