Oldest English Poem Found in Rome

Why this is here: The manuscript in Rome contains the earliest known instance of the “eordu” textual variant of Caedmon’s Hymn, predating previously known examples by over three centuries.

Scholars Elisabetta Magnanti and Mark Faulkner discovered the earliest known English poem, Caedmon’s Hymn, within a medieval manuscript at the National Central Library of Rome, Italy. The poem, dating to the early 9th century, appears not as a marginal note but integrated into the main text of a Latin work—a detail suggesting its early importance. This manuscript originates from the Benedictine abbey of Nonantola, near Modena, Italy, and traveled through various collections, including those in England and New York, before being acquired by the Italian Ministry of Culture in 1972.

The poem itself recounts the biblical creation story in Old English, a language markedly different from modern English. This newly found copy is the third oldest surviving version and contains a specific textual variant, “eordu,” not previously found in texts older than the late 12th century. Researchers also noted unusual punctuation in the Old English text, hinting at diverse copying traditions.

The library in Rome holds a large collection of codices from Nonantola, all now digitized and available online. While many manuscripts remain unexplored, digital access allows researchers to revisit existing materials with new questions, revealing hidden layers of history. The work of uncovering these texts continues.