From stone tablets to parchment codices, what varied writing mediums were employed when authoring the originals and inscribing copies?  Did the ancients really have the resources to successfully transmit these sacred texts through time?  Soon we will start looking at different Biblical manuscripts and how they can help us derive the most accurate readings, so let's first get familiar with some of the basics.  What is the manuscript made of?  And what does that tell us about its text?