At the end of a manuscript, the story of copying may briefly come into view. A colophon can name a scribe, record a place or date, or address a reader. Those details deserve their own reading rather than being folded into the main text without explanation.
The Qatar Digital Library’s discussion of colophons gives examples of this variety. Its material concerns particular manuscript traditions; it is a useful comparison, not evidence that every ancient religious manuscript contains the same features.
Ask what the date belongs to
Imagine a catalogue describing a copy completed in 1420 of a much earlier composition. The year belongs to that act of copying. It does not, by itself, establish when the composition first circulated. This is an invented example to keep the two events separate.
Make a small record with three entries: what the colophon says, what the catalogue concludes, and what remains uncertain. Preserve words such as “copied,” “completed,” or “repaired” when they identify different activities.
A named person also needs a role. A scribe, patron, owner, and author need not be the same individual. If the translation simply gives a name, consult the note explaining its relationship to the surrounding sentence before supplying a role yourself.
The reward is a more precise historical sentence: a particular copy was completed at a stated time, while the history of the work requires additional evidence.