Voynich Manuscript -AI Decoding
Channel: CurioNexus
Date: 2024-01-07

The fifteenth-century codex, known as the "Voynich Manuscript," is widely regarded as the most mysterious book in the world. Its unknown script and author continue to baffle experts, with no clear purpose having been deciphered since its rediscovery in 1912 by rare books dealer Wilfrid Voynich. The first half of the video is a build up of explaining where the Manuscript was found, what was done prior to decoding it attempts until 2022 where AI took center stage to decipher it. Throughout history, the manuscript has appeared and disappeared, passing through the library of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II and being part of a secret book sale by the Society of Jesus in Rome in 1903. The manuscript's language remains undeciphered, and its intricate illustrations are as perplexing as they are exquisite. Now, for the first time, readers can explore this enigma in all its breathtaking detail through a facsimile that includes intricate folding sections, from the unique "Voynichese" text to the depictions of otherworldly plants, unfamiliar constellations, and naked women swimming through fantastical tubes and green baths.

The Voynich Manuscript, written in Central Europe towards the end of the fifteenth or during the sixteenth century, is still the subject of heated debates regarding its origin, language, and date. It was named after Wilfrid M. Voynich, a Polish-American antiquarian bookseller who acquired it in 1912. The manuscript's perplexing drawings and undeciphered text have attracted considerable attention. Described as a magical or scientific text, its pages are filled with botanical, figurative, and scientific drawings that possess a provincial yet lively character. These drawings are rendered in ink and vibrant washes of various shades, including green, brown, yellow, blue, and red.

The manuscript can be divided into six sections based on its content. First, there are botanical drawings featuring 113 unidentified plant species. Second, there are astronomical and astrological drawings, including astral charts with radiating circles, suns, moons, and Zodiac symbols like fish (Pisces), a bull (Taurus), and an archer (Sagittarius). These drawings also depict nude females emerging from pipes or chimneys, as well as courtly figures. Third, there is a biological section with numerous drawings of miniature female nudes, many with swollen abdomens, immersed or wading in fluids, and peculiarly interacting with interconnected tubes and capsules. Fourth, there is an elaborate collection of nine cosmological medallions, some spanning several folded folios, portraying possible geographical formations. Fifth, there are pharmaceutical drawings of over 100 different species of medicinal herbs and roots, depicted alongside jars or vessels in red, blue, or green. Finally, there are continuous pages of text, possibly containing recipes, with star-like flowers marking each entry in the margins.

The ownership history of the Voynich manuscript, much like its contents, is a subject of contention and has some gaps. The codex was initially owned by Emperor Rudolph II of Germany, who was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1576 to 1612. He acquired the manuscript for 600 gold ducats and believed it to be the work of Roger Bacon. It is highly probable that Emperor Rudolph obtained the manuscript from the English astrologer John Dee (1527-1608), who was known to own the manuscript along with several other Roger Bacon manuscripts. In fact, Dee mentioned having 630 ducats in October 1586, and his son mentioned that Dee, while in Bohemia, possessed "a book... containing nothing but Hieroglyphicks, which book his father bestowed much time upon: but I could not hear that he could make it out."

Emperor Rudolph appears to have given the manuscript to Jacobus Horcicky de Tepenecz (d. 1622), as indicated by an inscription on folio 1r that is only visible under ultraviolet light, which reads: "Jacobi de Tepenecz." In 1666, Johannes Marcus Marci of Cronland presented the book to Athanasius Kircher (1601-1680). Then, in 1912, Wilfrid M. Voynich purchased the manuscript from the Jesuit College at Frascati near Rome. Finally, in 1969, the codex was given to the Beinecke Library by H. P. Kraus, who had acquired it from the estate of Ethel Voynich, the widow of Wilfrid Voynich.

OUTLINE:
00:00:00
The Enigma of The Voynich Manuscript

00:02:08
Early Attempts at Decoding

00:04:28
The Age of Artificial Intelligence

00:06:50
The Voynich Manuscript Conference 2022

00:08:47
The Unsolved Mystery