The craft accompanies the writing of the Jewish Holy Scriptures (mainstream orthodoxy says this goes back to Moses in c. 1313 BCE but the majority of Biblical scholars believe that the written books were a product of the Babylonian captivity c. 6th century BCE but likely preserving oral and written materials from much earlier). The earliest existing examples of the craft are the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest of which is c. 400 BCE. From the time of the rabbis (c. Roman time) the rules of how the writing should be done were written down and subsequently codified (Maseckhet Sofrim – tractate containing some core rules is likely 8th Century but has material from a lot earlier) and then have developed since.
The way parchment is made, used, ink recipes, writing styles, writing implements how repairs can be made etc. have developed over time and varied by country depending on local customs and availability of materials (e.g. reeds vs quills).
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Individual craftspeople:
Businesses employing two or more makers:
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