Uncial book hand Uncial book hand, Livy, 5th century; in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris (Lat. 5730). (more) uncial calligraphy Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/uncial Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Related Topics: calligraphy majuscule biblical uncial (Show more) See all related content uncial, in calligraphy, ancient majuscular book hand characterized by simple, rounded strokes. It apparently originated in the 2nd century ad when the codex form of book developed along with the growing use of parchment and vellum as writing surfaces. Unlike its prototype square roman, uncial is adapted to direct strokes of the pen held in one position and was thus the natural favourite of scribes; most of the works of Latin literature for more than 500 years were copied in this hand.

　　Half uncial Roman book hand,Half uncial Roman book hand, De bello Judaico (“The Jewish War”), attributed to Hegesippus, 5th–6th century; in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan (C.105 inf.).(more)Half uncial, or semi-uncial, script developed through the scribes’ tendency in certain schools, such as the Insular script of the British Isles, to adopt more cursive forms, admitting ascenders and descenders.

　　This article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering.