Scientists have pointed to the loss of 60% of Medieval chivalric novels
Up to 60% of the chivalric plots and more than 95% of the original medieval manuscripts were irretrievably lost. This was reported by Popular Science magazine.
To assess the scale of losses, the researchers used methods similar to studying genetic mutations in populations. Before the invention of the printing press, texts were copied manually and any changes in the new version were transmitted to all subsequent copies. Julien Randon-Furlain, a mathematician at the Borelli Center at the Higher Normal School of Paris-Saclay, explained that the similarity between the genealogy of biological species and manuscripts was noticed back in the 19th century.
The team used computer models to simulate the spread of chivalric narratives since the 1100s. The modeling took into account the impact of wars, pandemics such as the plague, and the decline in popularity of specific works. It turned out that if in the early years of the text's existence few copies were created, the probability of its disappearance became critically high.
Ulysses Gaudreau, co-author of the study
Philologists and historians have long known that the volume of losses was impressive.
According to the head of the study, Jean-Baptiste Camp from the Graduate School of Charters, the uniqueness of the work lies in the perception of the genealogy of texts as a dynamic process. This made it possible to correlate the mathematical theory with historical data on accidental incidents and major upheavals of the past.
Julien Randon-Furlain
One of the main questions for us was how much of the past we possess. Because if you tell me that the manuscripts we have represent 90%, 50%, or 25% of what existed, or that they represent less than 5% of what existed, it will be a completely different story, a completely different picture of the past.
Currently, scientists plan to expand the methodology to analyze even more ancient texts, including ancient Greek plays and the writings of the Church fathers. The researchers also intend to study the cultural exchange between the regions of medieval Europe — from Iceland to Spain, comparing different territories as specific "ecosystems" with different levels of literary survival.
On May 17, Science Daily magazine reported the discovery of a manuscript with the first-ever poem in English. The find was made in Rome. Archaeologists have found in the National Central Library of the city a manuscript that contained "Caedmon's Hymn" — a short work in Old English, which was created more than 1.3 thousand years ago.
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