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When was the manuscript written and by whom?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·Part of Is the 2011 decipherment of the Copiale cipher correct?·3 answers·0·0 following
Most likely: the manuscript was written between about 1760 and 1780, as the paper analysis suggestsAhead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. The manuscript was written around 1730 to the 1740s, as the project site and Önnerfors's reading of the hand… leads, with evidence 1 for: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible.

Why it matters

Estimates range over fifty years and the manuscript calls itself a copy; the Wolfenbüttel archive could fix both⁠[1]⁠[2].

Answers 3

Evidence: 1 for
Most likely
Evidence: 1 for
Most likely
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible

History

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