Uncovering the Ancient Roots of English Literature The discovery in Rome of a 1,200 year old manuscript containing Caedmon's Hymn has sent shockwaves through the academic community.
This ancient poem, attributed to a Northumbrian cowherd, is now confirmed as one of the oldest surviving versions of the earliest known poem written in English.
Caedmon's Hymn was embedded directly into the main Latin text of the manuscript, suggesting that early medieval readers valued Old English poetry highly.