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An '''] ] ]''' (prayer book) was discovered in a ] in ], in the townland of ] in north ], ]<ref name=IOL>- IOL news 05/08/2006 - 09:50:08 </ref>. It is estimated to have been in the bog for between 1,000 and 1,200 years, but the book itself has yet to be formally identified, named or dated by Irish archaeological authorities. This discovery is hailed by the ] as one of the most significant Irish ] finds in decades.<ref name=RTE> - RTÉ News</ref> An expert who was called in to advise on the discovery said that he believes the psalter is the first discovery of an Irish early ] ] in two centuries.<ref>Bernard Meehan cited in the </ref>
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
]
The '''Faddan More Psalter''' ({{langx|ga|Saltair an Fheadáin Mhóir}}) (also '''Irish Bog Psalter''' or "Faddan Mor Psalter") is an ] Christian ] or text of the ], discovered in a ] in July 2006, in the townland of ] ({{langx|ga|Feadán Mór}}) in north ], Ireland.<ref name=IOL>{{Cite news |title=Location of 'Ireland's Dead Sea Scrolls' revealed |author= |newspaper=Irish Examiner |date=5 August 2006 |url= https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30270823.html}}</ref> The manuscript was probably written in about 800 CE in one of a number of monasteries in the area. After several years of conservation work, the psalter went on display at the ] in ], Dublin in June 2011.<ref name="ReferenceA">NMI</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Cunningham|first=Grainne|title=Public gets first look at ancient book of psalms|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/public-gets-first-look-at-ancient-book-of-psalms-2668780.html|accessdate=9 June 2011|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=8 June 2011}}</ref>

This discovery was hailed by the ] as one of the most significant Irish ] finds in decades.<ref name=RTE> – RTÉ News, 25 July 2006</ref> Bernard Meehan of the ], who advised on the discovery, said that he believed the psalter was the first discovery of an Irish early ] ] in two centuries.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Psalms emerge from Irish bog |last=Ginsberg |first=Jodie |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=27 July 2006 |url= https://www.smh.com.au/world/psalms-emerge-from-irish-bog-20060727-gdo1ry.html}}</ref> During the conservation process, in the period 2006–2010, the inside of the leather cover was found to be lined with ], probably as a stiffening; it has been suggested that this points to links between Irish ] and the ]es at the time.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Manuscript dug from bog rates among our top 10 biggest finds |last=REILLY |first=JEROME |newspaper=independent.ie |date=5 September 2010 |url= https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/manuscript-dug-from-bog-rates-among-our-top-10-biggest-finds-26678101.html }}</ref>

The psalter joins the very small number of very early Western books that have survived fully intact with their original ]s. These mostly have their origins in the monastic ] of Britain and Ireland, and the ] and ] missions to Europe. The earliest is the ] of about 700 (]), and other examples probably of the mid-8th century are at ] on the continent. However the wallet-like style of the Faddan More binding, and that it does not seem to have been physically attached to the sewn-together pages, make it unique among surviving covers.


==Description== ==Description==
]
The book is written in ] on ] pages and extensive fragments have survived. Early research shows that the approximately 20 recovered pages are those of a slim, large-format book with a wraparound vellum or leather cover (like "a very thick wallet in appearance") from which the text block has slipped. It is believed to have been made for and belonged to an ancient Irish Christian monastery.<ref name=NPR> - NPR</ref> <ref name=RTE/>
The psalter contains the Latin text of the Psalms, complete on 60 sheets of ] in five gatherings or ]s. The text is a ] version of the ], written in ] letters in a single column. The first letter of each psalm has a capital and, as is often the case, the opening words of psalms 1, 51 and 101 are decorated, using black, red, and yellow.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
⚫ Low oxygen levels in the bog provide unusual preservation conditions, and bogs were often used by Irish monks as hiding places for valuables in the face of ] raids. In addition to low oxygen levels, ] moss, of which the peat bog is composed, produces an antibiotic substance called sphagnan that binds with proteins on the surface of microorganisims, immobilizing them. Its highly reactive carbonyl groups can alter chemicals and nutrients that would otherwise decompose organic matter. And above all the sphagnum moss causes organic material to undergo chemical changes itself that make it impervious to rot.<ref> by Daniel Engber, Slate, 2006</ref>

The original leather binding has a fold-over flap with three horn buttons that were probably used to secure a thong or straps, now missing, that tied the cover up; it does not seem to have been physically attached to the gathered and sewn-together pages inside, forming what we might call today a folder or wallet. Similar covers seem to be shown in some images in manuscripts, but no comparable covers have survived. The outside of the cover was "painted with ]-based pigment".<ref>NMI PDF</ref> The leather seems to have been used as a trial piece or sketchpad for composing patterns of ] for other objects. On the inside there is a sheet of papyrus, presumably used as a liner to stiffen the cover somewhat.<ref>NMI, and NMI PDF</ref>

⚫ Low oxygen levels in the bog provide unusual preservation conditions, and bogs were often used by Irish monks as hiding places for valuables in the face of ] raids. In addition to low oxygen levels, ] moss, of which the peat bog is composed, produces an antibiotic substance called ] that binds with proteins on the surface of microorganisms, immobilising them. Its highly reactive carbonyl groups can alter chemicals and nutrients that would otherwise decompose organic matter. And above all the sphagnum moss causes organic material to undergo chemical changes itself that make it impervious to rot.<ref> by Daniel Engber, Slate, 2006</ref>


==Discovery== ==Discovery==
It was uncovered by bulldozer driver Eddie Fogarty,<ref name=IOL/> a worker extracting ] with a ]. Dr. Patrick Wallace, director of the National Museum, praised Fogarty for immediately having covered the book with damp soil, as exposure to dry air after so many centuries of dampness might have destroyed it. The book is being stored in refrigeration at the National Museum. Identifying the safest way to pry open the pages without damaging or destroying them could take months, and conservation work could take two years. A team of archaeologists continues to explore the site. The area around Faddan More Bog is rich in mediaeval history. Monastic foundations such as Lorrha and Terryglass in Co Tipperary and Birr and Seirkieran in Co Offaly are located nearby.<ref name=IOL/> It was uncovered by bulldozer driver Eddie Fogarty,<ref name=IOL/> a worker extracting ] with a ]. Patrick Wallace, director of the National Museum, praised Fogarty for immediately having covered the book with damp soil, as exposure to dry air after so many centuries of dampness might have destroyed it. The book was initially stored in refrigeration at the National Museum. Identifying the safest way to pry open the pages without damaging or destroying them was expected to take months, and conservation work to take two years. The area around Faddan More Bog is rich in medieval history. Monastic foundations such as ] and ] in County Tipperary and ] and ] in County Offaly are located nearby.<ref name=IOL/>


The bog is owned by local brothers Kevin and Patrick Leonard. Six years before the psalter find, a leather satchel was found that, by ], was estimated to originate from between the seventh and ninth centuries. Additionally, in recent years two ancient wooden vessels were also found in the same bog.<ref name=IOL/> The bog is owned by local brothers Kevin and Patrick Leonard. Six years before the psalter find, a leather satchel was found that, by ], was estimated to originate from between the seventh and ninth centuries. This was found just {{convert|100|m|ft}} from where the psalter was found and is of a similar date, suggesting that the satchel may have originally contained the book. Additionally, in the years before 2006, two ancient wooden vessels were found in the same bog.<ref name=IOL/>


==Misreported prophecy== ==Misreported prophecy==
When found, the book was opened to a page displaying ] ] (in the ] numbering), which corresponds with ] in the ] numbering used in most English-language translations.<ref name=NPR/> Due to confusion regarding differences in numbering the Psalms, some news sites reported that the Psalter was "prophetically" open to a reference to the destruction of ] and connected the find with the current ]. The matter was clarified by the director of the ], who pointed out the difference in Septuagint vs. Masoretic numbering and that the psalm in question contains no reference to the destruction of Israel.<ref></ref> When found, the book was opened to a page displaying ] ] (in the ] numbering), which corresponds with ] in the ] numbering used in most English-language translations.<ref name=NPR>{{cite interview |last=Wallace |first=Pat |subject-link= |interviewer=Robert Siegel|date=26 July 2006 |url= https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5584495&t=1637506001700 |title=Ancient Psalms Found Preserved in Irish Bog (audio) |website=NPR}}</ref> Due to confusion regarding differences in numbering the Psalms, some news sites implied that the Psalter was open at the ]. That psalm contains such lines as "They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance"; this reference to the attempted destruction of ] connected the find in some people's minds with the contemporaneous ]. The matter was clarified by the director of the ], who pointed out the difference in Septuagint vs. ] numbering and that the displayed psalm contains no reference to the destruction of Israel.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Museum plays diplomatic role on psalm's 'warning to Israel' |last=Mac Cormaic |first=Ruadhán |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=28 July 2006 |url= https://www.irishtimes.com/news/museum-plays-diplomatic-role-on-psalm-s-warning-to-israel-1.1263254}}</ref>

==Conservation==
The psalter was in poor condition, due to the acidic peat bog which had, however, been responsible for preserving it. It was in visibly so bad a condition that someone in the ] put a picture of the mass in a staff area captioned "if you think you have a bad day ahead&nbsp;...".<ref name=ocarroll>{{Cite news |title='It was terrifying': ancient book's journey from Irish bog to museum treasure |last=O'Carroll |first=Lisa |newspaper=The Observer |date=21 November 2021 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/nov/21/it-was-terrifying-ancient-books-journey-from-irish-bog-to-museum-treasure}}</ref>

The National Museum of Ireland consulted with specialists in archaeological conservation and book conservation about the best way to conserve the psalter, and received partly conflicting advice. Ultimately a multi-phase conservation plan was determined. The first phase involved non-destructive examination of the psalter in the form in which it was discovered, e.g. photography, MRI scanning, and examination of the binding by book-binding specialists. In the second phase, experiments were done on 18th century parchments to determine the best way of drying waterlogged parchment. The most effective method involved soaking the parchment in ] to replace the water, placing it between blotting sheets, and vacuum-packing it. In the third phase, this technique was tested on small fragments of the psalter, and found to be effective. Conservators then began applying this method to larger sections of the psalter, and found they could consistently achieve shrinkage of only 2–5%, against 75% on a small fragment that was air-dried.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Faddan More Psalter - Phases of Conservation |last1=Gillis |first1=John |last2=Read. |first2=Anthony |work=National Museum of Ireland |date=2020 |url= https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Conservation/Conservation-Projects/The-Faddan-More-Psalter/Phases-of-Conservation}}</ref>

Dewatering was carried out over four years using a vacuum chamber to minimise shrinkage and decay. Then dismantling was carried out. The letters, written in ], were preserved better than spaces between letters, many of which had dissolved, so it was necessary after drying to piece them together in the right sequence.<ref name=ocarroll/> The process was described in a book from the National Museum of Ireland, ''The Faddan More Psalter, The Discovery and Conservation of a Medieval Treasure'' published in November 2021.


==See also== ==See also==
*], a 7th Century Irish psalter *], a 6th-Century Irish psalter
*], 7th-century Irish psalter written on wooden wax tablets
*] and ], recent Irish bog finds *] and ], 2003 Irish bog finds
*]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}


==References== == References ==
* "NMI PDF", {{citation|surname1=Eamonn P. Kelly|surname2=Maeve Sikora|title=Reading the Faddan More Psalter: An Introduction|publisher=National Museum of Ireland|publication-place=Dublin|date= 2011|url=https://www.academia.edu/3207806/_With_M_Sikora_Reading_the_Faddan_More_Psalter_An_Introduction|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426081424/http://www.museum.ie/GetAttachment.aspx?id=bac32eb7-bb4f-4f04-acd1-ab27a9d924a0|archive-date=26 April 2012}}
<div class="references-small">
*"NMI", National Museum of Ireland,
<references />
* {{cite book |last1=Gillis |first1=John |title=The Faddan More psalter : the discovery and conservation of a medieval treasure |date=2021 |publisher=Wordwell Books |location=Dublin |isbn=9781914470004 |edition=First}}
</div>


==External links== ==External links==
*{{Cite web |title=The Faddan More Psalter |website=National Museum of Ireland |url= https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Conservation/Conservation-Projects/The-Faddan-More-Psalter/ }} Links to articles
{{wikinews|Ancient prayer book found in Irish bog}} {{wikinews|Ancient prayer book found in Irish bog}}
⚫ * on ]
* at the Los Angeles Times
* in the ] (login required)
⚫ * on ]
* on ] (video report attached) * on ] (video report attached)
* on ] * on National Museum of Ireland
*] *]
*] *]
* *
*
{{coord|53|03|13|N|7|59|57|W|region:IE-OY_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title}}


] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
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Latest revision as of 20:39, 20 October 2024

The cover of the psalter, after conservation

The Faddan More Psalter (Irish: Saltair an Fheadáin Mhóir) (also Irish Bog Psalter or "Faddan Mor Psalter") is an early medieval Christian psalter or text of the book of Psalms, discovered in a peat bog in July 2006, in the townland of Faddan More (Irish: Feadán Mór) in north County Tipperary, Ireland. The manuscript was probably written in about 800 CE in one of a number of monasteries in the area. After several years of conservation work, the psalter went on display at the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology in Kildare Street, Dublin in June 2011.

This discovery was hailed by the National Museum of Ireland as one of the most significant Irish archaeological finds in decades. Bernard Meehan of the Trinity College Library, who advised on the discovery, said that he believed the psalter was the first discovery of an Irish early medieval manuscript in two centuries. During the conservation process, in the period 2006–2010, the inside of the leather cover was found to be lined with papyrus, probably as a stiffening; it has been suggested that this points to links between Irish Celtic Christianity and the Coptic churches at the time.

The psalter joins the very small number of very early Western books that have survived fully intact with their original bookbindings. These mostly have their origins in the monastic Insular art of Britain and Ireland, and the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon missions to Europe. The earliest is the St Cuthbert Gospel of about 700 (British Library), and other examples probably of the mid-8th century are at Fulda on the continent. However the wallet-like style of the Faddan More binding, and that it does not seem to have been physically attached to the sewn-together pages, make it unique among surviving covers.

Description

A sheet of Faddan More Psalter

The psalter contains the Latin text of the Psalms, complete on 60 sheets of vellum in five gatherings or quires. The text is a Gallican version of the Vulgate, written in Insular majuscule letters in a single column. The first letter of each psalm has a capital and, as is often the case, the opening words of psalms 1, 51 and 101 are decorated, using black, red, and yellow.

The original leather binding has a fold-over flap with three horn buttons that were probably used to secure a thong or straps, now missing, that tied the cover up; it does not seem to have been physically attached to the gathered and sewn-together pages inside, forming what we might call today a folder or wallet. Similar covers seem to be shown in some images in manuscripts, but no comparable covers have survived. The outside of the cover was "painted with black carbon-based pigment". The leather seems to have been used as a trial piece or sketchpad for composing patterns of interlace for other objects. On the inside there is a sheet of papyrus, presumably used as a liner to stiffen the cover somewhat.

Low oxygen levels in the bog provide unusual preservation conditions, and bogs were often used by Irish monks as hiding places for valuables in the face of Viking raids. In addition to low oxygen levels, sphagnum moss, of which the peat bog is composed, produces an antibiotic substance called sphagnan that binds with proteins on the surface of microorganisms, immobilising them. Its highly reactive carbonyl groups can alter chemicals and nutrients that would otherwise decompose organic matter. And above all the sphagnum moss causes organic material to undergo chemical changes itself that make it impervious to rot.

Discovery

It was uncovered by bulldozer driver Eddie Fogarty, a worker extracting peat with a backhoe. Patrick Wallace, director of the National Museum, praised Fogarty for immediately having covered the book with damp soil, as exposure to dry air after so many centuries of dampness might have destroyed it. The book was initially stored in refrigeration at the National Museum. Identifying the safest way to pry open the pages without damaging or destroying them was expected to take months, and conservation work to take two years. The area around Faddan More Bog is rich in medieval history. Monastic foundations such as Lorrha and Terryglass in County Tipperary and Birr and Seirkieran in County Offaly are located nearby.

The bog is owned by local brothers Kevin and Patrick Leonard. Six years before the psalter find, a leather satchel was found that, by radiocarbon dating, was estimated to originate from between the seventh and ninth centuries. This was found just 100 metres (330 ft) from where the psalter was found and is of a similar date, suggesting that the satchel may have originally contained the book. Additionally, in the years before 2006, two ancient wooden vessels were found in the same bog.

Misreported prophecy

When found, the book was opened to a page displaying Psalm 83 (in the Septuagint numbering), which corresponds with Psalm 84 in the Masoretic numbering used in most English-language translations. Due to confusion regarding differences in numbering the Psalms, some news sites implied that the Psalter was open at the Masoretic Psalm 83. That psalm contains such lines as "They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance"; this reference to the attempted destruction of Israel connected the find in some people's minds with the contemporaneous 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. The matter was clarified by the director of the National Museum of Ireland, who pointed out the difference in Septuagint vs. Masoretic numbering and that the displayed psalm contains no reference to the destruction of Israel.

Conservation

The psalter was in poor condition, due to the acidic peat bog which had, however, been responsible for preserving it. It was in visibly so bad a condition that someone in the British Museum put a picture of the mass in a staff area captioned "if you think you have a bad day ahead ...".

The National Museum of Ireland consulted with specialists in archaeological conservation and book conservation about the best way to conserve the psalter, and received partly conflicting advice. Ultimately a multi-phase conservation plan was determined. The first phase involved non-destructive examination of the psalter in the form in which it was discovered, e.g. photography, MRI scanning, and examination of the binding by book-binding specialists. In the second phase, experiments were done on 18th century parchments to determine the best way of drying waterlogged parchment. The most effective method involved soaking the parchment in ethanol to replace the water, placing it between blotting sheets, and vacuum-packing it. In the third phase, this technique was tested on small fragments of the psalter, and found to be effective. Conservators then began applying this method to larger sections of the psalter, and found they could consistently achieve shrinkage of only 2–5%, against 75% on a small fragment that was air-dried.

Dewatering was carried out over four years using a vacuum chamber to minimise shrinkage and decay. Then dismantling was carried out. The letters, written in iron gall ink, were preserved better than spaces between letters, many of which had dissolved, so it was necessary after drying to piece them together in the right sequence. The process was described in a book from the National Museum of Ireland, The Faddan More Psalter, The Discovery and Conservation of a Medieval Treasure published in November 2021.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Location of 'Ireland's Dead Sea Scrolls' revealed". Irish Examiner. 5 August 2006.
  2. ^ NMI
  3. Cunningham, Grainne (8 June 2011). "Public gets first look at ancient book of psalms". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  4. Ancient manuscript discovered in the Midlands – RTÉ News, 25 July 2006
  5. Ginsberg, Jodie (27 July 2006). "Psalms emerge from Irish bog". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  6. REILLY, JEROME (5 September 2010). "Manuscript dug from bog rates among our top 10 biggest finds". independent.ie.
  7. NMI PDF
  8. NMI, and NMI PDF
  9. How do bogs keep things fresh? by Daniel Engber, Slate, 2006
  10. Wallace, Pat (26 July 2006). "Ancient Psalms Found Preserved in Irish Bog (audio)". NPR (Interview). Interviewed by Robert Siegel.
  11. Mac Cormaic, Ruadhán (28 July 2006). "Museum plays diplomatic role on psalm's 'warning to Israel'". The Irish Times.
  12. ^ O'Carroll, Lisa (21 November 2021). "'It was terrifying': ancient book's journey from Irish bog to museum treasure". The Observer.
  13. Gillis, John; Read., Anthony (2020). "The Faddan More Psalter - Phases of Conservation". National Museum of Ireland.

References

External links

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