New Copy of Earliest Poem in English Language Discovered by Researchers in Rome

An Ancient Rome Manuscript Hid a 1,300-Year-Old Copy of the First English Poem

Learn more about Caedmon’s Hymn, the first poem written in English, and a new copy recently found in Rome thanks to archival sleuthing and digitization.

9th-Century Manuscript Found in Rome Reveals First Known English Poem

Manuscript detail showing lines of Caedmon’s Hymn, Rome. Credit: Elisabetta Magnanti et al. / CC BY 4.0 Researchers have identified an early medieval manuscript in the National Central Library of Rome that contains what is widely considered the first poem in the English language. The find offers new insight into the earliest stages of English literature. The manuscript dates from the early 9th century, between about 800 and 830. It preserves a v…

Lost copy of oldest English-language poem found in Rome

Lost Copy of the Oldest-Known English Poem Discovered in a Rome Library

The discovery uncovers new insights into how English spread and evolved over time, the researchers say.

New copy of earliest poem in English language discovered by researchers in Rome

An early ninth-century manuscript containing a text of the first known poem in the English language has been discovered in Rome by researchers from Trinity College Dublin. The newly-discovered manuscript in the National Central Library of Rome of Caedmon's Hymn dates from between the years 800 and 830, making it the third oldest surviving text of the poem.

Rare copy of oldest poem in English language discovered by TCD researchers

Caedmon’s Hymn was written in the late seventh century in Old English by the English monk, author and scholar Bebe