Black Oak

For millennia, oak gall from black oak trees was used to produce iron gall ink, also known as “oak bark ink”. Gall was also an important source of black dye that became highly prized following the reign of Phillip the 2nd of Spain. The earliest techniques for producing this type of ink come from Pliny the Elder and numerous manuscripts were written using it, including the oldest copy of the Bible, the Codex Sinaiticus. Due to its ease of production, as well as for its durability and water resistance, this ink became the preferred ink for European scribes and its use became widespread throughout the entire Mediterranean region; another Mediterranean tradition preserved by Decotec.