This paper focuses on the development of various types of drawn linear ornamentation and the changes in their functions in the manuscripts of late antiquity, Byzantium (to the 15th century) and the Latin West (up to and including the 11th century). This subject is examined in a comparison of the above cultural spheres and within the context of decoration in period applied art (particularly gold and textile work) and monumental painting and sculpture associated with architecture. The basics are also outlined for a study of the linear decoration of gothic manuscripts, which will be covered in another paper.