Ancient King Arthur Stories Found Hiding in Plain Sight

Have you ever lost your sunglasses while they were sitting on top of your head or searched for your phone while it was in your hand? Well, something similar happened to scientists studying at the University of Cambridge library when they found an ancient story written on parchment made from animal skin being used as a book cover. The ancient writings had been hiding in plain sight for centuries. Using advanced technology, scientists were able to view even the hidden parts of the document and reveal two handwritten ancient tales written about King Arthur and Merlin.

The Discovery

A group of University of Cambridge scientists discovered a 13th-century manuscript fragment in the university library in 2019. The fragile document had been recycled in the 1500s as a book cover for a 16th-century archival register. The book was very old, but, once discovered, its binding turned out to be two ancient stories about King Arthur. Scientists revealed that the document was written between the years 1275 and 1315. It was quite a discovery, but to reveal the hidden parts of the paper without damaging its contents was nearly impossible. Using the university’s Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory (CHIL) in collaboration with groundbreaking technology, the scientists were able to see the document in its entirety.

The Technology and Stories Revealed

It was a challenge for the scientists to discover what was written in the ancient manuscript. Not only was it extremely old and fragile but also sewn into the binding of the book it was covering. They wanted to preserve the writings without damaging the historical book. Using cutting-edge technology – such as Computed Tomography scanning, 3D modeling, and multispectral imaging — the scientists were able to take pictures of both the visible and nonvisible parts of the document, and they could see the hidden parts of the writing without removing the cover. What they discovered were two episodes from the Suite Vulgate du Merlin, an old French tale that came after the story about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. There are fewer than 40 manuscripts, all written by hand, in existence.

The first story discovered is about the Christian victory against the Saxons during the Battle of Cambénic. It goes on to describe Gauvain and his sword, Excalibur, his horse Gringalet, and the supernatural powers he possesses. The second story is about the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Merlin joining the group in disguise as a harpist, focusing on Merlin’s magical abilities and his relationship as an adviser to King Arthur.

The utilization of advanced technology has opened the door for revealing details from historical documents. Researchers and scientists throughout the world are excited to see what they can discover from their ancient collections. Knowing that they can now expose the contents of these documents without causing damage to a fragile source is a revolutionary development.

1. Researchers using advanced technology were able to read visible and hidden words in a document on animal skin repurposed as a book cover.
2. The fragile binding contained two ancient stories about King Arthur and Merlin, written between the years 1275 and 1315.
3. Researchers now can expose the contents of ancient works without causing damage to a fragile source.