Paleography: 6 essential resources to decipher the old archives

Discover 6 essential resources to master paleography and facilitate the reading of archive documents in your genealogical research.

©️Archives d'Indre-et-Loire

Paleography, or the art of deciphering ancient scriptures, is an essential competence for any genealogist wishing to explore the historical archives. Faced with the diversity of writing styles and the evolution of the language over the centuries, it is crucial to have good resources to correctly interpret these documents. 

Here is a selection of five resources to help you in this process.

1. Paleography courses of national archives

THE French national archives offer courses On site, in Paris, to learn how to read the old scriptures (14th-18th centuries). These courses are offered by the Société des Amis des Archives de France and are open to everyone. Several levels are offered - Initiation and improvement. You can register for these courses for 2025-2026 From September 2025.

2. THE Paleography notebooks des Archives de Rennes

These Paleography notebooks proposent une sélection de textes de difficulté croissante, des repères historiques, des conseils de lecture et des transcriptions. These cahiers ont pour objectifs de vous entraîner à déchiffrer les documents manuscrits, tout en vous guidant dans l’apprentissage de la forme des lettres, des abréviations, de l’orthographe et du vocabulaire d’antan. Consultez la fiche