|
Medieval Walkway Found at Bury St. Edmunds Abbey
|
A medieval walkway hidden for years under vegetation has been discovered at Bury St. Edmunds Abbey. Built against the wall of the west front of the abbey, one can still see the marks made by abbey clerks' hobnail boots which had worn away a path used as a maintenance route between internal walls. The walkway will be covered over to preserve it for future generations. |
Re-written from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/suffolk/5212764.stm, July 25, 2006.
Book of Psalms Discovered in Ireland Bog
| A thousand-year-old Book of Psalms has been discovered by a construction worker in a bog in Ireland. Using a backhoe to dig up peat moss, he spotted the leather-bound book. Experts called to the site were amazed to find an ancient Psalter, about 20 pages long written in Latin, dating to the late 8th century. It is the first early medieval text to be discovered in Ireland in 200 years. No one knows how this precious book ended up in a peat bog. But the damp, acidic environment appears to have helped preserve the document, experts say. The book is now being stored in refrigeration at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. Next they have to identify the safest way to turn the pages without damaging or destroying them.
|
|
It may be many months before scholars get to see a new page, but it promises to be intriguing, as decoration on the first page includes an interlaced border and the figure of an eagle. Once the manuscript has been conserved, it will be displayed in the early Christian gallery of the National Museum of Ireland.
Re-written from the following sources:
National Geographic News, July 26, 2006-- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060726-ireland-psalms_2.html
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/europe/article1288515.ece
Restoration unveils Roman 'Sistine Chapel of the Middle Ages'
A series of medieval frescoes painstakingly restored over nearly a decade has been unveiled in Rome. The 13th-century frescoes found in the Santi Quattro Coronati monastery, range from the constellations, the seasons and the signs of the zodiac to images representing human virtues and vices, all portrayed in vibrant tones of red, blue, green and gold. A team of six experts carried out the restoration project, which began in 1997 and was financed completely by the Cultural Heritage Ministry. While the monastery is not usually open to the public, the area where the frescoes are located will be opened in the spring of 2007 so everyone can enjoy them.
Re-written from CBC Arts, December 12, 2006. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2006/12/06/rome-frescoes-medieval.html
Vatican confirms St Paul's coffin has been found
Vatican archaeologists have confirmed that St Paul was buried beneath St. Paul’s Outside the Walls Basilica. They identified an 8-foot long, white marble Roman sarcophagus dating from at least A.D. 390 beneath the main altar and a Latin epigraph: Paulo Apostolo Mart., or "Apostle Paul, Martyr." The first step is to free it from centuries of plaster and debris in the hope of finding other clues on the sarcophagus itself. A small hole in the lid measuring ten centimeters or four inches]wide in the stone coffin was observed, through which pilgrims would push pieces of fabric to touch the bones of the martyr, has been filled by debris. "I have no doubt that this is the tomb of St Paul, as revered by Christians in the fourth century," said Giorgio Filippi, the Vatican archaeologist who made the discovery, and who will present the results of his scientific tests on the remains of the saint on Monday. St Paul's sarcophagus was found after five years of extensive excavations at the church, which is second only in size to St Peter's in Rome. Vatican experts, announcing Monday that the coffin had been unearthed, said they hoped to be able to examine it more closely and maybe even look inside.
Re-written and quotes taken from the following sources:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/vatican-confirms-st-pauls-coffin-has-been-found/2006/12/08/1165081155132.html
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2006Dec11/0,4670,VaticanStPaulapossTomb,00.html
http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2006/12/st-pauls-sarcophagus-unearthed.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061211-saint-paul_2.html
New E-mail Discussion List
Announcing a New Forum for Scholars of Early Medieval England: The Anglo-Saxon
Studies Colloquium aims to foster intellectual exchange among faculty and
graduate students whose interests embrace the language, literature, and culture
of early medieval England. Based in Columbia, New York University, Princeton,
and Rutgers, the Colloquium seeks to expand the resources available to
Anglo-Saxonists from these universities and other institutions in the area, and
also to create a welcoming intellectual community for anyone who is interested
in Anglo-Saxon studies. Spring speakers include: Katherine O'Brien O'Keeffe
(Notre Dame University), Jonathan Wilcox (University of Iowa), and E. Gordon
Whatley (CUNY). To join our e-mail list, please send a message to
ASSC@columbia.edu.
Contact: David F. Johnson, Executive Director, International
Society of Anglo-Saxonists, Director, Interdisciplinary Program in the
Humanities, 205 Dodd Hall, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306
(850-644-0314; fax: 850-644-1139).
Printer Friendly Version
|
