Roman Manuscript Uncovers Earliest Old English Poem, Rewriting Language Origins
A Rome-based medieval manuscript dating to 800–830 contains the Old English Caedmon’s Hymn embedded in Latin text, making it the third-oldest surviving copy and shedding new light on how early English poetry was valued alongside Latin; discovered by Trinity College Dublin researchers in the National Central Library of Rome (originating from the Abbey of Nonantola), its digitization has revealed a cross‑cultural link between England and Italy in the early medieval period.
