Codex

   "Book" in Latin. Books became popular in the fourth century, replacing the rolled manuscript. Their advantages were several. Unlike rolled manuscripts, both sides could be written on, and information could be retrieved quickly. (It is hard to imagine, for example, that the Codex Justinianus [q.v.] would have been as popular and useful a legal tool had it been issued in rolled manuscripts.) Once the folded pages, called quires, were stitched and bound, a book was also more durable than a rolled manuscript. Exquisite page illustrations (called illuminations or miniatures) and rich bindings could make it a thing of beauty, reflecting the owner's status. Pocket-sized codices of the Gospels, the Psalms (psalters [q.v.]), and biographies (vitae [q.v.]) of saints, encouraged meditation and prayer. Book illuminations, many with rich gold backgrounds, were highly prized and exerted a significant influence over the art of Byzantium's (q.v.) neighbors in the West, also in Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria (e.g., the Codex Suprasliensis), and Rus (qq.v.). Much of what modern audiences perceive about Byzantium have come through exhibits and reproductions of its art, including illuminated books.