A significant literary discovery has been made with the unearthing of a 1,200-year-old manuscript in Rome, which contains Caedmon's Hymn, the earliest known poem in English. This manuscript, dated between 800 and 830 AD, is now housed in the National Central Library of Rome and is the third oldest surviving version of the poem. Unlike earlier copies that presented the Old English lines in the margins, this manuscript integrates them directly into the Latin text, reflecting the early medieval readers' esteem for Old English poetry.

Caedmon's Hymn, a nine-line poem attributed to a cowherd from Whitby, North Yorkshire, praises God's creation. The manuscript's discovery was made by researchers from Trinity College Dublin, who emphasized its importance for understanding the roots of English literature. The manuscript's complex history includes being lost since 1975 and surviving through various ownership changes before being digitized. This find not only enhances the understanding of Old English but also highlights the cultural exchanges between England and Italy during the early medieval period.