Re: VMs: Counting sheep...?

["Barbara Barrett" <barbarabarrett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Nick Noted;.....and Maurizio Mentioned;
<snip lots of calculations>

Barbara Blithers;

Uh guys......Vellum can *not* be made from sheepskin: a young animal is
needed for the right grade of skin.

Usually Vellum is made from calfskin. Calves are _roughly_ twice the size of
a sheep. If one doubles the dimensions then one *quadruples* the surface
area.
Therefore the number of calves needed to make the vms in vellum would be a
about a quarter of the number of sheep needed if it had been made in
parchment.

Therefore a minimum of only two calves, and (alowing for an over-estimate of
hide suitable for vellum making) a maximum of three calves, are needed to
produce as much writing materiel as eight sheep!

Now, a question, for I confess to great confussion here; what relevence has
the number of animals that went "into" the vms have to our studies?
I fail to see it myself :-(

Barbara


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