Cambridge scientists decipher rare manuscript about King Arthur

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have successfully read a rare manuscript fragment from the Middle Ages. According to the university's official website, this document was stored in the library for more than 500 years and was accidentally discovered in 2019.

History and significance of the manuscript

Scientists have determined that this manuscript fragment is part of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin. This text belongs to the Lancelot-Graal cycle, which tells about King Arthur and his legendary adventures, and was written between 1275 and 1315.

To date, only about 40 such texts have survived. Since the works were handwritten by copyists in the Middle Ages, each copy differs in its decoration and content. Initially, the text was thought to be a 14th-century story about Sir Gawain, but it was later discovered to be an ancient fragment about Merlin.

Scenes in the manuscript

The manuscript depicts two important scenes:

1. The Battle of Cambenic - King Lot and his sons, including Gawain, fight against the Saxon rulers.
2. Merlin at the Court - the famous wizard arrives at King Arthur's court in the guise of a harpist.

The text was written in Old French, the language of the nobility in England after the Norman Conquest. It belongs to the genre of Arthurian romances, and was intended primarily for nobles, including women.

Decryption process

The manuscript was very poorly preserved. Since traditional conservation methods can damage the document, scientists decided to use digital technologies.

Multispectral imaging, computed tomography and 3D scanning methods were used to restore and read the text. Thanks to these advanced methods, the text in the manuscript could be identified and studied.

This discovery by scientists from the University of Cambridge allows us to better understand the legends of King Arthur. This text, which dates back to the Middle Ages, can be an important source in studying the cultural ties between Southern France and England. This study also once again proves how effective digital technologies are in restoring ancient documents. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”