[Glossed Psalter]
![[Glossed Psalter]](http://ljs101.exhibits.library.upenn.edu/files/fullsize/907a71c5984bb4896e985afd08ab8a86.jpg "[Glossed Psalter]")
The Psalms were used as a primary educational tool in the early middle ages. Psalters, such as MS Codex 1058, were used to teach literacy skills, in addition to their function as prayer books. The small size of MS Codex 1058 makes it easy to hold in the hand and to carry in a pocket, perfect for personal use and private reading. The Psalms were also a favorite text of study and commentary. The extensive marginal glosses in MS Codex 1058 show this copy being used in this way.
MS Codex 1058, like LJS 101, is written in Caroline minuscule. This script was developed to make texts more legible and was adopted as the standard script throughout the Carolingian empire beginning in the ninth century. The standardization of script reflects a wider trend of standardization in manuscript production in the period. It is also believed that this manuscript was made in Laon, located in northeastern France. The Cathedral School of Laon was a major center of education in the Carolingian empire. LJS 101 was likely produced in a similar center, perhaps the monastery of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire at Fleury in north-central France. There are records of an extensive library at Fleury and its Abbot, Abbo of Fleury, led significant reforms in learning and pedagogy at the beginning of the eleventh century.