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RNZ News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Medieval tale of Merlin and King Arthur found hiding as a book cover
By Ashley Strickland , CNN Conservator Sally Kilby and Błażej Mikuła photograph inside the folds of a medieval manuscript that was used as the cover for another book later on. Photo: Supplied / Cambridge University Library via CNN Researchers have found pages of a rare medieval manuscript masquerading as a cover and stitched into the binding of another book, according to experts at the Cambridge University Library in England. The fragment contains stories about Merlin and King Arthur. The two pages are from a 13th century copy of the "Suite Vulgate du Merlin." The manuscript, handwritten by a medieval scribe in Old French, served as the sequel to the legend of King Arthur. There are just over three dozen surviving copies of the sequel today. Part of a series known as the Lancelot-Grail cycle, the Arthurian romance was popular among aristocrats and royalty, said Dr. Irène Fabry-Tehranchi, French specialist in collections and academic liaison at Cambridge University Library. The stories were either read aloud or performed by trouvères, or poets, who traveled from court to court, she said. Rather than risk damaging the brittle pages by removing the stitches and unfolding them, a team of researchers were able to conduct imaging and computed tomography, or CT, scans to create a 3D model of the papers and virtually unfurl them to read the story. Fabry-Tehranchi, one of the first to recognize the rarity of the manuscript, said finding it "is very much a once in a lifetime experience." The scans revealed book-binding techniques from the distant past and hidden details of the repurposed manuscript that could shed light on its origins. "It's not just about the text itself, but also about the material artefact," Fabry-Tehranchi said in a statement. "The way it was reused tells us about archival practices in 16th-century England. It's a piece of history in its own right." Former Cambridge archivist Sian Collins first spotted the manuscript fragment in 2019 while recataloging estate records from Huntingfield Manor, owned by the Vanneck family of Heveningham, in Suffolk, England. Serving as the cover for an archival property record, the pages previously had been recorded as a 14th century story of Sir Gawain. But Collins, now the head of special collections and archives at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, noticed that the text was written in Old French, the language used by aristocracy and England's royal court after the Norman Conquest in 1066. She also saw names like Gawain and Excalibur within the text. Collins and the other researchers were able to decipher text describing the fight and ultimate victory of Gawain, his brothers and his father King Loth versus the Saxon Kings Dodalis, Moydas, Oriancés, and Brandalus. The other page shared a scene from King Arthur's court in which Merlin appears disguised as a dashing harpist, according to a translation provided by the researchers: The pages were folded, torn and stitched together to create a cover for 16th century property records. Photo: Supplied / Cambridge University Library via CNN "While they were rejoicing in the feast, and Kay the seneschal (steward) brought the first dish to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, there arrived the most handsome man ever seen in Christian lands. He was wearing a silk tunic girded by a silk harness woven with gold and precious stones which glittered with such brightness that it illuminated the whole room." Both scenes are part of the "Suite Vulgate du Merlin" that was originally written in 1230, about 30 years after "Merlin," which tells the origin stories of Merlin and King Arthur and ends with Arthur's coronation. "(The sequel) tells us about the early reign of Arthur: he faces a rebellion of British barons who question his legitimacy and has to fight external invaders, the Saxons," Fabry-Tehranchi said in an email. "All along, Arthur is supported by Merlin who advises him strategically and helps him on the battlefield. Sometimes Merlin changes shape to impress and entertain his interlocutors." Blue and red flourishes on some of the letters enabled researchers to date the manuscript to the late 13th to early 14th century. Photo: Supplied / Błażej Mikuła / Amélie Deblauwe / Cambridge University Library via CNN The pages had been torn, folded and sewn, making it impossible to decipher the text or determine when it was written. A team of Cambridge experts came together to conduct a detailed set of analyses. After analyzing the pages, the researchers believe the manuscript, bearing telltale decorative initials in red and blue, was written between 1275 and 1315 in northern France, then later imported to England. They think it was a short version of the "Suite Vulgate du Merlin." Because each copy was individually written by hand by medieval scribes, a process that could take months, there are distinguishing typos, such as "Dorilas" instead of "Dodalis" for one of the Saxon kings' names. "Each medieval copy of a text is unique: it presents lots of variations because the written language was much more fluid and less codified than nowadays," Fabry-Tehranchi said. "Grammatical and spelling rules were established much later." Photo: Supplied / Błażej Mikuła / Amélie Deblauwe / Cambridge University Library via CNN But it was common to discard and repurpose old medieval manuscripts by the end of the 16th century as printing became popular and the true value of the pages became their sturdy parchment that could be used for covers, Fabry-Tehranchi said. "It had probably become harder to decipher and understand Old French, and more up to date English versions of the Arthurian romances, such as (Sir Thomas) Malory's 'Morte D'Arthur' were now available for readers in England," Fabry-Tehranchi said. The updated Arthurian texts were edited to be more modern and easier to read, said Dr. Laura Campbell, associate professor in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University in Durham, England, and president of the British branch of The International Arthurian Society. Campbell was not involved in the project, but has previously worked on the discovery of another manuscript known as the Bristol Merlin. "This suggests that the style and language of these 13th-century French stories were hitting a point where they badly needed an update to appeal to new generations of readers, and this purpose was being fulfilled by in print as opposed to in manuscript form," Campbell said. "This is something that I think is really important about the Arthurian legend - it has such appeal and longevity because it's a timeless story that's open to being constantly updated and adapted to suit the tastes of its readers." Researchers captured the documents across wavelengths of light, including ultraviolet and infrared, to improve the readability of the text and uncover hidden details, as well as annotations in the margins. The team carried out CT scanning with an X-ray scanner to virtually peer through the parchment layers and create a 3D model of the manuscript fragment, revealing how the pages had been stitched together to form a cover. The CT scans showed there was likely once a leather band around the book to hold it all in place, which rubbed off some of the text. Twisted straps of parchment, called tackets, along with thread reinforced the binding. Scans across different wavelengths of light enabled the researchers to see hidden details and annotations. Photo: Supplied / Błażej Mikuła / Amélie Deblauwe / Cambridge University Library via CNN "A series of specialised photographic equipment such as a probe lens as well as simple accessories such as mirrors were used to photograph otherwise inaccessible parts of the manuscript," said Amélie Deblauwe, a photographer at Cambridge University Library's Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory. The research team digitally assembled hundreds of images to create a virtual copy of the pages. "The creation of these digital outputs including the virtual unfolding, traditional photography, and (multispectral imaging) all contribute to the preservation of the manuscript in its reused form, while revealing as much of the original contents as possible," Deblauwe said. The researchers believe the methodology they developed for this project can be applied to other fragile manuscripts, especially those repurposed for other uses over time, to provide a nondestructive type of analysis. The team plans to share the methodology in an upcoming research paper. - This story was first published by CNN
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Medieval tale of Merlin and King Arthur found hiding as a book cover
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Researchers have found pages of a rare medieval manuscript masquerading as a cover and stitched into the binding of another book, according to experts at the Cambridge University Library in England. The fragment contains stories about Merlin and King Arthur. The two pages are from a 13th century copy of the 'Suite Vulgate du Merlin.' The manuscript, handwritten by a medieval scribe in Old French, served as the sequel to the legend of King Arthur. There are just over three dozen surviving copies of the sequel today. Part of a series known as the Lancelot-Grail cycle, the Arthurian romance was popular among aristocrats and royalty, said Dr. Irène Fabry-Tehranchi, French specialist in collections and academic liaison at Cambridge University Library. The stories were either read aloud or performed by trouvères, or poets, who traveled from court to court, she said. Rather than risk damaging the brittle pages by removing the stitches and unfolding them, a team of researchers were able to conduct imaging and computed tomography, or CT, scans to create a 3D model of the papers and virtually unfurl them to read the story. Fabry-Tehranchi, one of the first to recognize the rarity of the manuscript, said finding it 'is very much a once in a lifetime experience.' The scans revealed book-binding techniques from the distant past and hidden details of the repurposed manuscript that could shed light on its origins. 'It's not just about the text itself, but also about the material artefact,' Fabry-Tehranchi said in a statement. 'The way it was reused tells us about archival practices in 16th-century England. It's a piece of history in its own right.' Former Cambridge archivist Sian Collins first spotted the manuscript fragment in 2019 while recataloging estate records from Huntingfield Manor, owned by the Vanneck family of Heveningham, in Suffolk, England. Serving as the cover for an archival property record, the pages previously had been recorded as a 14th century story of Sir Gawain. But Collins, now the head of special collections and archives at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, noticed that the text was written in Old French, the language used by aristocracy and England's royal court after the Norman Conquest in 1066. She also saw names like Gawain and Excalibur within the text. Collins and the other researchers were able to decipher text describing the fight and ultimate victory of Gawain, his brothers and his father King Loth versus the Saxon Kings Dodalis, Moydas, Oriancés, and Brandalus. The other page shared a scene from King Arthur's court in which Merlin appears disguised as a dashing harpist, according to a translation provided by the researchers: 'While they were rejoicing in the feast, and Kay the seneschal (steward) brought the first dish to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, there arrived the most handsome man ever seen in Christian lands. He was wearing a silk tunic girded by a silk harness woven with gold and precious stones which glittered with such brightness that it illuminated the whole room.' Both scenes are part of the 'Suite Vulgate du Merlin' that was originally written in 1230, about 30 years after 'Merlin,' which tells the origin stories of Merlin and King Arthur and ends with Arthur's coronation. '(The sequel) tells us about the early reign of Arthur: he faces a rebellion of British barons who question his legitimacy and has to fight external invaders, the Saxons,' Fabry-Tehranchi said in an email. 'All along, Arthur is supported by Merlin who advises him strategically and helps him on the battlefield. Sometimes Merlin changes shape to impress and entertain his interlocutors.' The pages had been torn, folded and sewn, making it impossible to decipher the text or determine when it was written. A team of Cambridge experts came together to conduct a detailed set of analyses. After analyzing the pages, the researchers believe the manuscript, bearing telltale decorative initials in red and blue, was written between 1275 and 1315 in northern France, then later imported to England. They think it was a short version of the 'Suite Vulgate du Merlin.' Because each copy was individually written by hand by medieval scribes, a process that could take months, there are distinguishing typos, such as 'Dorilas' instead of 'Dodalis' for one of the Saxon kings' names. 'Each medieval copy of a text is unique: it presents lots of variations because the written language was much more fluid and less codified than nowadays,' Fabry-Tehranchi said. 'Grammatical and spelling rules were established much later.' But it was common to discard and repurpose old medieval manuscripts by the end of the 16th century as printing became popular and the true value of the pages became their sturdy parchment that could be used for covers, Fabry-Tehranchi said. 'It had probably become harder to decipher and understand Old French, and more up to date English versions of the Arthurian romances, such as (Sir Thomas) Malory's 'Morte D'Arthur' were now available for readers in England,' Fabry-Tehranchi said. The updated Arthurian texts were edited to be more modern and easier to read, said Dr. Laura Campbell, associate professor in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University in Durham, England, and president of the British branch of The International Arthurian Society. Campbell was not involved in the project, but has previously worked on the discovery of another manuscript known as the Bristol Merlin. 'This suggests that the style and language of these 13th-century French stories were hitting a point where they badly needed an update to appeal to new generations of readers, and this purpose was being fulfilled by in print as opposed to in manuscript form,' Campbell said. 'This is something that I think is really important about the Arthurian legend — it has such appeal and longevity because it's a timeless story that's open to being constantly updated and adapted to suit the tastes of its readers.' Researchers captured the documents across wavelengths of light, including ultraviolet and infrared, to improve the readability of the text and uncover hidden details, as well as annotations in the margins. The team carried out CT scanning with an X-ray scanner to virtually peer through the parchment layers and create a 3D model of the manuscript fragment, revealing how the pages had been stitched together to form a cover. The CT scans showed there was likely once a leather band around the book to hold it all in place, which rubbed off some of the text. Twisted straps of parchment, called tackets, along with thread reinforced the binding. 'A series of specialised photographic equipment such as a probe lens as well as simple accessories such as mirrors were used to photograph otherwise inaccessible parts of the manuscript,' said Amélie Deblauwe, a photographer at Cambridge University Library's Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory. The research team digitally assembled hundreds of images to create a virtual copy of the pages. 'The creation of these digital outputs including the virtual unfolding, traditional photography, and (multispectral imaging) all contribute to the preservation of the manuscript in its reused form, while revealing as much of the original contents as possible,' Deblauwe said. The researchers believe the methodology they developed for this project can be applied to other fragile manuscripts, especially those repurposed for other uses over time, to provide a nondestructive type of analysis. The team plans to share the methodology in an upcoming research paper.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Medieval tale of Merlin and King Arthur found hiding as a book cover
The pages were folded, torn and stitched together to create a cover for 16th century property records. Cambridge University Library via CNN Newsource Researchers have found pages of a rare medieval manuscript masquerading as a cover and stitched into the binding of another book, according to experts at the Cambridge University Library in England. The fragment contains stories about Merlin and King Arthur. The two pages are from a 13th century copy of the 'Suite Vulgate du Merlin.' The manuscript, handwritten by a medieval scribe in Old French, served as the sequel to the legend of King Arthur. There are just over three dozen surviving copies of the sequel today. Part of a series known as the Lancelot-Grail cycle, the Arthurian romance was popular among aristocrats and royalty, said Dr. Irène Fabry-Tehranchi, French specialist in collections and academic liaison at Cambridge University Library. The stories were either read aloud or performed by trouvères, or poets, who traveled from court to court, she said. Hidden book Blue and red flourishes on some of the letters enabled researchers to date the manuscript to the late 13th to early 14th century. Błażej Mikuła/Amélie Deblauwe/Cambridge University Library via CNN Newsource Rather than risk damaging the brittle pages by removing the stitches and unfolding them, a team of researchers were able to conduct imaging and computed tomography, or CT, scans to create a 3D model of the papers and virtually unfurl them to read the story. Fabry-Tehranchi, one of the first to recognize the rarity of the manuscript, said finding it 'is very much a once in a lifetime experience.' The scans revealed book-binding techniques from the distant past and hidden details of the repurposed manuscript that could shed light on its origins. 'It's not just about the text itself, but also about the material artefact,' Fabry-Tehranchi said in a statement. 'The way it was reused tells us about archival practices in 16th-century England. It's a piece of history in its own right.' Hiding in plain sight Former Cambridge archivist Sian Collins first spotted the manuscript fragment in 2019 while recataloging estate records from Huntingfield Manor, owned by the Vanneck family of Heveningham, in Suffolk, England. Serving as the cover for an archival property record, the pages previously had been recorded as a 14th century story of Sir Gawain. But Collins, now the head of special collections and archives at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, noticed that the text was written in Old French, the language used by aristocracy and England's royal court after the Norman Conquest in 1066. She also saw names like Gawain and Excalibur within the text. Collins and the other researchers were able to decipher text describing the fight and ultimate victory of Gawain, his brothers and his father King Loth versus the Saxon Kings Dodalis, Moydas, Oriancés, and Brandalus. The other page shared a scene from King Arthur's court in which Merlin appears disguised as a dashing harpist, according to a translation provided by the researchers: 'While they were rejoicing in the feast, and Kay the seneschal (steward) brought the first dish to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, there arrived the most handsome man ever seen in Christian lands. He was wearing a silk tunic girded by a silk harness woven with gold and precious stones which glittered with such brightness that it illuminated the whole room.' Hidden book Scans across different wavelengths of light enabled the researchers to see hidden details and annotations. Błażej Mikuła/Amélie Deblauwe/Cambridge University Library via CNN Newsource Both scenes are part of the 'Suite Vulgate du Merlin' that was originally written in 1230, about 30 years after 'Merlin,' which tells the origin stories of Merlin and King Arthur and ends with Arthur's coronation. '(The sequel) tells us about the early reign of Arthur: he faces a rebellion of British barons who question his legitimacy and has to fight external invaders, the Saxons,' Fabry-Tehranchi said in an email. 'All along, Arthur is supported by Merlin who advises him strategically and helps him on the battlefield. Sometimes Merlin changes shape to impress and entertain his interlocutors.' Tracing the book's journey The pages had been torn, folded and sewn, making it impossible to decipher the text or determine when it was written. A team of Cambridge experts came together to conduct a detailed set of analyses. After analyzing the pages, the researchers believe the manuscript, bearing telltale decorative initials in red and blue, was written between 1275 and 1315 in northern France, then later imported to England. They think it was a short version of the 'Suite Vulgate du Merlin.' Because each copy was individually written by hand by medieval scribes, a process that could take months, there are distinguishing typos, such as 'Dorilas' instead of 'Dodalis' for one of the Saxon kings' names. 'Each medieval copy of a text is unique: it presents lots of variations because the written language was much more fluid and less codified than nowadays,' Fabry-Tehranchi said. 'Grammatical and spelling rules were established much later.' But it was common to discard and repurpose old medieval manuscripts by the end of the 16th century as printing became popular and the true value of the pages became their sturdy parchment that could be used for covers, Fabry-Tehranchi said. 'It had probably become harder to decipher and understand Old French, and more up to date English versions of the Arthurian romances, such as (Sir Thomas) Malory's 'Morte D'Arthur' were now available for readers in England,' Fabry-Tehranchi said. The updated Arthurian texts were edited to be more modern and easier to read, said Dr. Laura Campbell, associate professor in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University in Durham, England, and president of the British branch of The International Arthurian Society. Campbell was not involved in the project, but has previously worked on the discovery of another manuscript known as the Bristol Merlin. 'This suggests that the style and language of these 13th-century French stories were hitting a point where they badly needed an update to appeal to new generations of readers, and this purpose was being fulfilled by in print as opposed to in manuscript form,' Campbell said. 'This is something that I think is really important about the Arthurian legend — it has such appeal and longevity because it's a timeless story that's open to being constantly updated and adapted to suit the tastes of its readers.' Uncovering hidden clues Researchers captured the documents across wavelengths of light, including ultraviolet and infrared, to improve the readability of the text and uncover hidden details, as well as annotations in the margins. The team carried out CT scanning with an X-ray scanner to virtually peer through the parchment layers and create a 3D model of the manuscript fragment, revealing how the pages had been stitched together to form a cover. The CT scans showed there was likely once a leather band around the book to hold it all in place, which rubbed off some of the text. Twisted straps of parchment, called tackets, along with thread reinforced the binding. 'A series of specialized photographic equipment such as a probe lens as well as simple accessories such as mirrors were used to photograph otherwise inaccessible parts of the manuscript,' said Amélie Deblauwe, a photographer at Cambridge University Library's Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory. The research team digitally assembled hundreds of images to create a virtual copy of the pages. 'The creation of these digital outputs including the virtual unfolding, traditional photography, and (multispectral imaging) all contribute to the preservation of the manuscript in its reused form, while revealing as much of the original contents as possible,' Deblauwe said. The researchers believe the methodology they developed for this project can be applied to other fragile manuscripts, especially those repurposed for other uses over time, to provide a nondestructive type of analysis. The team plans to share the methodology in an upcoming research paper. By Ashley Strickland
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Darwin's documentary archive recognised by Unesco
An archive of works by the scientist Charles Darwin has been recognised by the United Nations for its importance to global science and the need to preserve it. The Unesco Memory of the World Programme is the documentary equivalent of Unesco World Heritage Sites, protecting invaluable records that tell the story of human civilisation. The Darwin Archive, spread across six institutions in England and Scotland, including the University of Cambridge's collection, has been added to the Unesco register. The complete archive comprises more than 20,000 items, including records showing the development of his theory of evolution. The archive is a collaboration between Cambridge University Library, the Natural History Museum in London, the Linnean Society of London, English Heritage's Down House in Kent, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the National Library of Scotland. The collection in Cambridge includes Darwin's pocket notebooks recording early ideas contributing to his theory of evolution, and feature the Tree of Life diagram which he drew on his return from the voyage of HMS Beagle. Thousands of Darwin manuscripts and letters are also freely available online through the Cambridge Digital Library and the Darwin Correspondence Project. Down House in Downe, Kent, which is run by English Heritage, was both a family home and a place of work to Darwin, and its collection includes more than 200 books from his personal collection, account books, diaries, the Journal of the Voyage of the Beagle, notebooks and letters - plus personal items including scrapbooks. Meanwhile, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew has a collection of 44 letters detailing the HMS Beagle expedition and further letters are held at the Natural History Museum and the Linnean Society of London. In Scotland, the National Library holds correspondence with Darwin's publisher John Murray. Cambridge University Library said: "The Unesco International Memory of the World Register includes some of the UK's most treasured documentary heritage, such as the Domesday Book, the Shakespeare Documents, alongside more contemporary materials, including the personal archive of Sir Winston Churchill. "The Charles Darwin archive now joins this esteemed list, underscoring its historical, scientific, and cultural significance." Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister of State for International Development, said: "The recognition of the Charles Darwin archive on Unesco's International Memory of the World Register is a proud moment for British science and heritage. "Darwin's work fundamentally changed our understanding of the natural world and continues to inspire scientific exploration to this day. "By bringing together extraordinary material from our world class British institutions, this archive ensures that Darwin's groundbreaking work remains accessible to researchers, students, and curious minds across the globe." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Darwin's favourite plant displays tentacle trick 'Stolen' Darwin notes on show after mystery return Kew Gardens digitising eight million plant samples Darwin's dwarf kidney beans cleaned and catalogued Unesco Memory of the World University of Cambridge
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Cambridge collection among Darwin archives recognised by Unesco
An archive of works by the scientist Charles Darwin has been recognised by the United Nations for its importance to global science and the need to preserve Unesco Memory of the World Programme is the documentary equivalent of Unesco World Heritage Sites, protecting invaluable records that tell the story of human Darwin Archive, spread across six institutions in England and Scotland, including the University of Cambridge's collection, has been added to the Unesco complete archive comprises more than 20,000 items, including records showing the development of his theory of evolution. The archive is a collaboration between Cambridge University Library, the Natural History Museum in London, the Linnean Society of London, English Heritage's Down House in Kent, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the National Library of Scotland. The collection in Cambridge includes Darwin's pocket notebooks recording early ideas contributing to his theory of evolution, and feature the Tree of Life diagram which he drew on his return from the voyage of HMS of Darwin manuscripts and letters are also freely available online through the Cambridge Digital Library and the Darwin Correspondence Project. Down House in Downe, Kent, which is run by English Heritage, was both a family home and a place of work to Darwin, and its collection includes more than 200 books from his personal collection, account books, diaries, the Journal of the Voyage of the Beagle, notebooks and letters - plus personal items including the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew has a collection of 44 letters detailing the HMS Beagle expedition and further letters are held at the Natural History Museum and the Linnean Society of Scotland, the National Library holds correspondence with Darwin's publisher John Murray. Cambridge University Library said: "The Unesco International Memory of the World Register includes some of the UK's most treasured documentary heritage, such as the Domesday Book, the Shakespeare Documents, alongside more contemporary materials, including the personal archive of Sir Winston Churchill. "The Charles Darwin archive now joins this esteemed list, underscoring its historical, scientific, and cultural significance."Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister of State for International Development, said: "The recognition of the Charles Darwin archive on Unesco's International Memory of the World Register is a proud moment for British science and heritage."Darwin's work fundamentally changed our understanding of the natural world and continues to inspire scientific exploration to this day. "By bringing together extraordinary material from our world class British institutions, this archive ensures that Darwin's groundbreaking work remains accessible to researchers, students, and curious minds across the globe." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
