Irish researchers find oldest English poem in medieval book in Rome
Summary
Irish researchers found the oldest known English poem, Caedmon's Hymn, in a medieval book in a library in Rome. The poem, written in Old English in the 7th century, was found within the Latin text of a famous history book by the Venerable Bede.Key Facts
- Caedmon's Hymn is the oldest surviving English poem, created in the 7th century by a Northumbrian worker.
- The poem is found inside copies of the "Ecclesiastical History of the English People," written in Latin by Bede.
- The newly found manuscript dates from the 9th century and is one of the oldest known copies.
- Earlier copies placed the poem in the margins, but this discovery shows it included in the main text body.
- The discovery shows that written English was important and more widespread in the early 9th century than previously thought.
- Caedmon composed the poem after a dream instructed him to sing about creation while at Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire.
- This manuscript traveled extensively before ending up in Rome’s National Library.
- The manuscript was copied at a Benedictine abbey in Nonantola, Italy, a key medieval center for copying books.
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