Lost Copy of Earliest-Known English Poem Found in Roman Library
Artnet News reported on 11 May 2026 that a previously unknown copy of "Cædmon’s Hymn," widely regarded as the earliest-known English poem, was discovered in a library in Rome. The find adds a new witness to the text’s transmission and was identified in a manuscript collection connected in the reporting to Trinity College. The article describes the discovery as a “lost copy” located in a Roman library, expanding the known documentary record of the early medieval poem. No sale value was indicated in the excerpted text.
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This story was covered in Restitution Reckonings and a $2.5bn Auction Frenzy