DUBLIN, July 25: The discovery of an ancient Book of Psalms in a bog in the south Irish midlands was hailed on Tuesday by the National Museum as the country’s equivalent of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Psalter was uncovered by a bulldozer last Thursday, according to a statement from the museum which describes it as “the greatest find ever from a European bog.”

“It is impossible to say how the manuscript ended up in the bog. It may have been lost in transit or dumped after a raid, possibly more than 1,000 to 1,200 years ago.”

The pages appear to be those of a slim, large format book with a wraparound vellum or leather cover from which the book block has slipped.

“It is not so much the fragments themselves, but what they represent, that is of such staggering importance,” said Museum director Pat Wallace.

“In my wildest hopes, I could only have dreamed of a discovery as fragile and rare as this.

“It testifies to the incredible richness of the Early Christian civilisation of this island and to the greatness of ancient Ireland.”

Raghnall O Floinn, head of collections at the Museum, estimates that there are about 45 letters per line and a maximum of 40 lines per page. “While part of Psalm 83 is legible, the extent to which other Psalms or additional texts are preserved will only be determined by painstaking work by a team of invited experts probably operating over a long time in the Museum laboratory,” the statement said.

Bernard Meehan, head of manuscripts at Dublin’s Trinity College university has been invited to advise on the context and background of the manuscript, its production, and its time.

“He reckons that this is the first discovery of an Irish Early Medieval manuscript in two centuries.

“Initial impressions place the composition date of the manuscript at about 800AD. How soon after this date it was lost we may never know,” the statement said.

Arts Minister John O’ Donoghue said “this most fortunate of discoveries testifies to the high achievements of our Early Christian civilisation and to the responsibility of the present generation in the preservation of our unparalleled legacy from the past”.

The Museum is currently running a major exhibition “Kingship and Sacrifice” centred on two bodies found preserved in bogs.

The bog bodies were found on ancient boundaries and have highlighted a theory their execution and burial was associated with sovereignty and kingship rituals during the Iron Age.—AFP