The recent ‘rediscovery’ of fragments of the alphabetical tables of the first Cartulary of the Collegiate Church of St Julian of Auvergne, compiled at the beginning of the 12th century, would seem to have introduced a new milestone into the general understanding of the history of indexing. This article looks briefly at the chronology of the use of alphabetical order in the West and the appearance of the first indexes; analyses the distinctive features of the Brivadois fragments; and finally, looks behind the text and its formal distinctions at the human context in which it came into being, and sets out the religious, economic and social mechanisms which led to its appearance and were influenced by its use. The translation is by Maureen MacGlashan.