Lost copy of seventh-century poem in Old English discovered at Rome library
Summary
A lost copy of a very old English poem from the seventh century, called Caedmon’s Hymn, was found in a library in Rome. The poem is one of the earliest surviving works in the English language and was discovered by scholars from Trinity College Dublin in a manuscript likely written by a monk in northern Italy between AD 800 and AD 830.Key Facts
- Caedmon’s Hymn is the earliest surviving English poem, created by a Northumbrian cattle herder in the 7th century.
- The newly discovered manuscript was found at the National Central Library of Rome.
- It is the third oldest known copy of the poem and is written mainly in Old English, unlike other copies which include Latin.
- The manuscript shows early use of word spacing marked by full stops (periods) after each word.
- The discovery highlights the importance of making library collections digital for new research.
- The poem praises God for creating the world and was first recorded by the historian Bede in the 8th century.
- The manuscript was likely copied by a monk in northern Italy between AD 800 and AD 830.
- This find shows that Old English poetry was valued by early readers outside of England.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.