Photo: copy of an illuminated manuscript page by artsmia.org
Thomas Cahill, a scholar and historian of Western civilization, credits Irish monks, copying books in their scriptoria in obscure monasteries, for saving huge numbers of Roman writings from being obliterated during the Dark Ages.
In his book How the Irish Saved Civilization (New York, Anchor, 1995), Cahill explains how as the Roman Empire fell, "the Irish took up the great labour of copying all of Western literature." Monastic scribes also "served as conduits through which the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian cultures were transmitted to the tribes of Europe."
The Irish monks, says Cahill, "re-founded European civilization throughout the continent." Without them, the current literate Western civilization would never have come into being.
According to the Irish Times archive, the years between 500 and 1000 were golden ones for scholarly itinerant Irish monks, who also developed their knowledge of mathematics, astronomy and other sciences.
Put the kettle on! I'm going to send Grannymar, an Irish visitor to my blog over here for a read.
ReplyDeleteThat was a long cold swim across the pond! Marianna directed me this way.
ReplyDeleteThere are many manuscripts like the one you show above, The Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow being the most famous and now residing in Trinity College, Dublin. Can you Imagine the monks sitting for long hours at high desks with quills and coloured inks painstakingly designing each page. The flicker of candle light was the only aid in the long dark days of winter. It must have taken years to complete each book. I often wonder if our now modern technology will last the sands of time.
I from time to time like to tell stories (in my own way) of Ireland long ago. One such Post may be of interest to you: http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2011/08/16/gallivanting/