Researchers Discover Oldest English Poem in Medieval Manuscript in Rome
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have uncovered the oldest surviving English poem, 'Caedmon's Hymn,' within a medieval manuscript in a Roman library. The poem, composed in Old English by a Northumbrian agricultural worker in the 7th century, was found within the Latin text of the 'Ecclesiastical History of the English People' by the Venerable Bede. This discovery was made by Elisabetta Magnanti and Mark Faulkner, who were examining digitized pages of the manuscript. The manuscript, dating from the 9th century, is one of the oldest copies of Bede's work and contains the poem within its main body, unlike earlier copies where it appeared as an afterthought. The manuscript's journey included being part of the Nonantola abbey's collection, moving to the Vatican, and eventually being acquired by Italy's culture ministry in 1972. 
