The York Gospels: a 1000-year biological palimpsest

Matthew D. Teasdale; Sarah Fiddyment; Jiří Vnouček; Valeria Mattiangeli; Camilla Speller; Annelise Binois; Martin Carver; Catherine Dand; Timothy P. Newfield; Christopher C. Webb; Daniel G. Bradley; Matthew James Collins

doi:10.1098/rsos.170988

The York Gospels: a 1000-year biological palimpsest

Matthew D. Teasdale^*, Sarah Fiddyment, Jiří Vnouček, Valeria Mattiangeli, Camilla Speller, Annelise Binois, Martin Carver, Catherine Dand, Timothy P. Newfield, Christopher C. Webb, Daniel G. Bradley, Matthew James Collins

^*Corresponding author for this work

27 Citations (Scopus)

93 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Medieval manuscripts, carefully curated and conserved, represent not only an irreplaceable documentary record but also a remarkable reservoir of biological information. Palaeographic and codicological investigation can often locate and date these documents with remarkable precision. The York Gospels (York Minster Ms. Add. 1) is one such codex, one of only a small collection of pre-conquest Gospel books to have survived the Reformation. By extending the non-invasive triboelectric (eraser-based) sampling technique eZooMS, to include the analysis of DNA, we report a cost-effective and simple-to-use biomolecular sampling technique for parchment. We apply this combined methodology to document for the first time a rich palimpsest of biological information contained within the York Gospels, which has accumulated over the 1000-year lifespan of this cherished object that remains an active participant in the life of York Minster. These biological data provide insights into the decisions made in the selection of materials, the construction of the codex and the use history of the object.

Original language	English
Article number	170988
Journal	Royal Society Open Science
Volume	4
Issue number	10
Number of pages	11
ISSN	2054-5703
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.170988
Publication status	Published - 25 Oct 2017

Keywords

Ancient DNA
EZooMS
Microbiome
Molecular codicology
Parchment

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Teasdale_2017_The_York_GospelsFinal published version, 1.01 MBLicence: CC BY

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abstract = "Medieval manuscripts, carefully curated and conserved, represent not only an irreplaceable documentary record but also a remarkable reservoir of biological information. Palaeographic and codicological investigation can often locate and date these documents with remarkable precision. The York Gospels (York Minster Ms. Add. 1) is one such codex, one of only a small collection of pre-conquest Gospel books to have survived the Reformation. By extending the non-invasive triboelectric (eraser-based) sampling technique eZooMS, to include the analysis of DNA, we report a cost-effective and simple-to-use biomolecular sampling technique for parchment. We apply this combined methodology to document for the first time a rich palimpsest of biological information contained within the York Gospels, which has accumulated over the 1000-year lifespan of this cherished object that remains an active participant in the life of York Minster. These biological data provide insights into the decisions made in the selection of materials, the construction of the codex and the use history of the object.",

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The York Gospels: a 1000-year biological palimpsest

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