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Fragments of a rare Merlin manuscript from c. 1300

Fragments of a rare Merlin manuscript from the 1200s discovered and digitised in a ground-breaking three-year project at Cambridge University Library.

What followed the discovery has been a ground-breaking collaborative project, showcasing the work of the University Library’s Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory(CHIL) and combining historical scholarship with cutting-edge digital techniques, to unlock the manuscript's long-held secrets - without damaging the unique document. This one is believed to belong to the short version of the Vulgate Merlin, and small errors—such as the mistaken use of the name "Dorilas" instead of "Dodalis"— will help Dr Fabry-Tehranchi and her colleague Nathalie Koble (ENS Paris), to trace its lineage among surviving manuscripts. The methods undertaken by Amélie Deblauwe, Błażej Mikuła and Maciej Pawlikowski from CHIL, with the support of Jennifer Murray from the Library’s Conservation Department, allowed them to unfold the fragment virtually and access hidden parts of the text.

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