Cambridge University scholars successfully read a unique manuscript fragment from the Middle Ages. According to the university's official website, this document has been preserved in the library for over 500 years and was discovered accidentally in 2019.
History and significance of the manuscript
The scholars identified that this manuscript fragment is part of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin. This text belongs to the Lancelot-Grail cycle, which tells the story of King Arthur and his legendary adventures, written between 1275 and 1315.
To date, only about 40 such texts have been preserved. In the Middle Ages, since scribes copied works by hand, each copy differs in its embellishments and content. Initially, this text was considered a 14th-century tale about Sir Gawain, but it was later revealed to be an ancient fragment about Merlin.
Scenes in the manuscript
The manuscript depicts two important scenes:
1. The Battle of Camlann – King Lot and his sons, including Gawain, fight against eighty rulers.
2. Merlin in the court – the famous wizard arrives at King Arthur's court in the guise of a harpist.
The text is written in Old French, the language of the nobility in England after the Norman conquest. It belongs to the genre of romances about King Arthur, primarily intended for the nobility, including women.
The deciphering process
The manuscript was in very poor condition. Due to the potential damage that traditional conservation methods could cause to the document, the scholars decided to use digital technologies.
Multispectral imaging, computer tomography, and 3D scanning methods were employed to restore and read the text. Thanks to these advanced methods, the text in the manuscript was identified and could be studied.
This discovery by Cambridge University scholars allows for a better understanding of the legends about King Arthur. This text from the Middle Ages could serve as an important source for studying cultural connections between Southern France and England. Additionally, this research further proves how effective digital technologies are in restoring ancient documents
