THE PSALMS IN A BOG:

Ireland worker finds ancient psalms in bog

By SHAWN POGATCHNIK
Associated Press Writer

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- Irish archaeologists Tuesday heralded the discovery of an ancient book of psalms by a construction worker who spotted something while driving the shovel of his backhoe into a bog.

The approximately 20-page book has been dated to the years 800-1000. Trinity College manuscripts expert Bernard Meehan said it was the first discovery of an Irish early medieval document in two centuries.

[...]

The book was found open to a page describing, in Latin script, Psalm 83, in which God hears complaints of other nations' attempts to wipe out the name of Israel.

[Pat] Wallace[, director of the National Museum of Ireland] said several experts spent Tuesday analyzing only that page - the number of letters on each line, lines on each page, size of page - and the book's binding and cover, which he described as "leather velum, very thick wallet in appearance."

[...]

The article has a photo as well, although there's no readable text on it.

(Heads up, Ian Werrett.)

UPDATE: This Reuters article makes the inevitable comparison:

"In discovery terms, this Irish equivalent to the Dead Sea Scrolls is being hailed by the museum's experts as the greatest find ever from a European bog," the museum said in a statement.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, found in the mid 20th century, are considered to be of enormous religious and historical significance since they include some of the earliest known surviving biblical documents.

The Irish discovery, recovered from bogland last Thursday, comprises extensive fragments of what is thought to be an Irish Early Christian Psalter, written on vellum, a fine animal skin parchment.

This article also has a much better photograph, in which letters in some of the lines can be made out:



UPDATE (6 August): more here, here, here, and here.