English monk, scholar, author of Ecclesiastical History (672/3–735)
A rediscovered Rome manuscript containing Caedmon’s Hymn has been confirmed as the third-oldest Old English copy, with the accompanying Historia Ecclesiastica among the fifth-oldest surviving versions. The find, linked to Nonantola and later movements, underscores the value of digitised libraries in revealing long-lost texts. Researchers say the Rome copy places Old English verse in the main text and illuminates its linguistic development.