While Scottish Gaelic is at risk of eventually dying out, specialists were able to find its spiritual home.
Monastery of Deer Found
The Book of the Deer, a 10th century pocket book containing earliest known Scottish Gaelic examples, was written in a long-lost monastery that archaeologists just found.
The specific structure, the Monastery of Deer, was constructed in Northeast Scotland, though the exact date of construction remains unknown. It was used for Cistercian monk worship nearly a millennium ago.
While the book still exists, the monastery was lost and hidden. Now, archaeologists were finally able to find the remains of the building. The remains were discovered just 80 meters from the Deer Abbey ruins, near the Mintlaw village in Aberdeenshire.
The reason behind the lost status of the monastery remains unconfirmed. Ph.D researcher Alice Jaspars from the University of Southampton's Archaeology department, who co-led the dig, explains that they suspect that this took place before the Dear Abbey was occupied. However, there is nothing much to add about it.
Archaeologists spent four different digging periods last year. These were in August to mid-September, June, mid-May, and late April. They discovered post holes, which were ground recesses that used to hold stone or timber. Carbon-dating analysis revealed that the post holes aligned with the era of the Gaelic addenda within the Book of Deer.
The archaeologists also found glass fragments, medieval pottery, chess-like hnefatafl boards, and a stylus. The team notes that these and other artifacts found in the area point towards the ancient existence of the monastery.
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Where the Scottish Gaelic Addenda in the Book of Deer Was Written
For a long time, academics have speculated that the addenda, or handwritten entries, were included while the book was still part of the monastery. Jaspars explains that the Book of Deer houses the earliest records of Scottish Gaelics, which makes it crucial to Scottish history.
With this, the Book of Deer is thought to be oldest Scottish manuscript that has survive. Though the exact location where the book was written remains a mystery, it is thought that the Scottish Gaelic in the book's argins was added to the book in the Monastery of Deer. The addenda cover reference to the monastery's foundation as well as other land crands across Northeastern Scotland.
The Book is believed to have been written between 850 A.D. and 1000 A.D. The addenda may have been added to the book's margins by monastery monks during the late 1100s and early 1200s.
While the construction of the Monastery of Deer still remains a mystery, it is likely to date back before the Deer Abbey nearby that was constructed in 1219. Jaspars notes that it is also safe to assume that the occupation of the monastery predates this time and aligns with the addenda.
The researchers are planning to have their work published in the next few months.
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