monks who worked on books were known as scriptores and worked in rooms called scriptoriums. the scriptorium was a long room, lit only by the light from the windows, with wooden chairs and writing tables. a monk would sit hunched over these tables, which angled upwards to hold manuscript pages, day after day to complete a work. candles or oil lamps were not allowed in the scriptorium to maintain the safety of the manuscripts as fire was an obvious and significant threat.