Beyond optical recognition

No doubt reading the text (Virgil's Aeneid book 3) in this 5th-century manuscript fragment was as difficult back then as it is now. With no separation between words (known as scriptio continua), reading was slow, focused and ruminative. At least the capital letters (Roman square capitals) improved visibility. St. Gallen, Stiftsbibliothek, Cod. Sang. 1394