"Eight parchment pages bound in furry sealskin recently donated to the National Library of Norway may be the oldest book in Norway. For decades the book was at the Hagenes farm in Bergen, passed down through the generations, until the family decided to give it to the National Library earlier this year. According to family lore, the manuscript originated in a monastery in Western Norway."
"Samples of the binding and parchment have been taken for protein and DNA analysis to confirm the animal origins. With DNA we can determine the age of the materials, which seal species was used for the cover, and where the animal that became the parchment lived, says [conservator Chiara] Palandri. Some seals swim far, others stay in one area. If the cover is from a specific seal species and the calf turns out to have grown up in Norway, then the origin becomes clear."
Eight parchment pages bound in furry sealskin, donated to the National Library of Norway, may be the country's oldest book. The manuscript resided at the Hagenes farm in Bergen for generations and reportedly originated in a Western Norway monastery. Conservators identified the book as a collection of religious sequences dating to at least the 13th century. Pages are calf parchment and the sealskin cover retains surviving fur, a rare survival. Samples of binding and parchment have been taken for protein and DNA analysis to identify animal species, material age, and geographic origin. Latin script and sealskin suggest local Nordic production for practical liturgical use.
Read at www.thehistoryblog.com
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