Nice one, especially the part about the ancient hypertext/hyperlink system:
“…They also devised an elaborate system of symbols emphasising the connection between the main text written in the centre of each page and the commentary excerpts placed in the surrounding margins. The commentaries became very popular elements of school education, being named scholia (‘school material’) as a result … and … Signs written in red ink connecting marginal commentaries to the main text”
Incidentally, the word scholia in modern Greek literally means comments :-)
The thing I find most striking about it at first glance is almost hilarious to me, and it's best illustrated by this remark:
"Christian commentators adopted a similar system. They placed the Biblical text in the centre of each page, written in larger, more prominent characters, adding the commentary around it in smaller letters, so that as much as possible could fit on the page."
We still do this with modern study Bibles! NET and ESV as very recent printings, for example, both have fairly similar layouts, though NET is probably closest to this since it doesn't contain introductory text typeset differently from the rest of the commentary. If it works...
Even more amusing: The red ink connections bring to mind how Logos (the Bible software) works where each commentary or other text that references another text are all interlinked within your library and can be clicked or moused-over. And we think our modern era is so novel! Hah!
In all seriousness, it'd be interesting to see how the sample of OT texts in this compare to the LXX since the article (to me) seems to suggest this contained comments specifically to help with the Septuagint's peculiar grammar (and I didn't get from their remarks that the verse text is changed or updated?). Absolutely fascinating!
It reminds me of the Talmud [1], particularly the oral Torah, with the commentaries attached.
On the inside (in purple in the image) we have the actual writing down of the Mishnah, a record of part of the oral Torah. Immediately underneath that is the Gemara, a key commentary/interpretation written around 200 AD. Surrounding that are the commentaries of rabbis who lived in the Middle Ages. And at the very edge in small print, there are commentaries from modern (1600s - 1800s) rabbis.
And in the Ancient Greek σχολή meant all of what we now have different words for: learning, lecture, and discussion. Which indicates that discussion may have been the preferred method of teaching (learning).
Incidentally, the word scholia in modern Greek literally means comments :-)