Excavating Ireland

“Tue Jul 25, 4:29 PM

DUBLIN, Ireland - Irish archaeologists Tuesday heralded the discovery of an ancient book of psalms by a construction worker who spotted something while driving the shovel of his backhoe into a bog.

The approximately 20-page book has been dated to the years 800-1000. Trinity College manuscripts expert Bernard Meehan said it was the first discovery of an Irish early medieval document in two centuries.

"This is really a miracle find," said Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland, which has the book stored in refrigeration and facing years of painstaking analysis before being put on public display.

"There's two sets of odds that make this discovery really way out. First of all, it's unlikely that something this fragile could survive buried in a bog at all, and then for it to be unearthed and spotted before it was destroyed is incalculably more amazing."

He said an engineer was digging up bogland last week to create commercial potting soil somewhere in Ireland's midlands when, "just beyond the bucket of his bulldozer, he spotted something." Wallace would not specify where the book was found because a team of archaeologists is still exploring the site.

"The owner of the bog has had dealings with us in past and is very much in favor of archaeological discovery and reporting it," Wallace said.

Crucially, he said, the bog owner covered up the book with damp soil. Had it been left exposed overnight, he said, "it could have dried out and just vanished, blown away."

The book was found open to a page describing, in Latin script, Psalm 83, in which God hears complaints of other nations' attempts to wipe out the name of Israel.

Wallace said several experts spent Tuesday analyzing only that page _ the number of letters on each line, lines on each page, size of page _ and the book's binding and cover, which he described as "leather velum, very thick wallet in appearance."

It could take months of study, he said, just to identify the safest way to pry open the pages without damaging or destroying them. He ruled out the use of X-rays to investigate without moving the pages.

Ireland already has several other holy books from the early medieval period, including the ornately illustrated Book of Kells, which has been on display at Trinity College in Dublin since the 19th century.


I found this to be interesting because of the page that was open when the book was found. I just said, "uh oh..."”

“I have heard it from a friend of mine in the IRA that knows that sells commercial potting soil is drinking buddies with the engineer that found the book. He says that on the page opposite of the text shown above was just the number 42”

“I wonder what that might signify?”

“The book was found open to a page describing, in Latin script, Psalm 83, in which God hears complaints of other nations' attempts to wipe out the name of Israel.

And thus God created White-out and saw that it was Good.”

“42???MY GOD Then we didn't need to build that Da^n computer...the white mice are going to be PISSED.”

“Its a book.”

“STOP....Don't Go....ITS A COOK BOOK!


God I have waited for years to write that.”

“I think the coolest part of the story was that the owner of the bog knew enough about archeological techniques to cover the book in dirt - outstanding!”

“...an ancient book of psalms by a construction worker

a construction worker wrote a book of psalms!!?

what is it, The Holy Psalms of Chuck?”

“The interesting thing is that it may give some insight into people of the time.

The contents of the book are written elsewhere......boring.”

“I wonder if it complains that France still sks”

“I wonder if its a freaking hoaxs. Come on, people, a 1000 year old book left open in the bog is not only still in one piece but still legible and referring to isreal?”

“Think of this place in 1000 years...all the Playboy's and Oprah mags they will find...people will be so confused about us as a culture it will make us look like we were sane today. Oh and don't forget the book of nonsense shaped like a toilet.
last edited: 7/26/06 8:19:12 AM”

“Whatcha want to bet it has a copy of Howard Hughes Will (LOL)”

“Maybe it is early toilet paper and someone dropped it in the bog/toilet.”

“The peat bogs do a good job of preserving stuff. Lack of oxygen and high acidity preserve soft tissues, such as skin and organs. Since Vellum is made out of skin the peat kept it neat.
They have pulled bodies out of the bogs that are over a 1,000 years old and look better than some of the folks I've seem trugging to the top of Whitney. ( the mountain not the singer.)”