Hiding in plain sight: The biomolecular identification of pinniped use in medieval manuscripts

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dc.contributor.authorLévêque, Élodieen
dc.contributor.authorTeasdale, Matthew D.en
dc.contributor.authorFiddyment, Sarahen
dc.contributor.authorBro-Jørgensen, Maiken Hemmeen
dc.contributor.authorSpindler, Lukeen
dc.contributor.authorMacLeod, Ruairidhen
dc.contributor.authorBougard, Françoisen
dc.contributor.authorOlsen, Morten Tangeen
dc.contributor.authorCollins, Matthewen
dc.contributor.funderHorizon 2020en
dc.contributor.funderEuropean Research Councilen
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-24T15:49:58Z
dc.date.available2025-04-24T15:49:58Z
dc.date.issued2025en
dc.description.abstractThe survival of medieval manuscripts in their original bindings remains a rare occurrence. Taking advantage of the diversity of bindings in Cistercian libraries such as Clairvaux and its daughter abbeys during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, this study focuses on the biocodicological analysis of medieval manuscript bindings, with particular emphasis on the use of sealskins. Using innovative methods such as electrostatic zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (eZooMS) and ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis, this research identifies the animal species and origin of the leather used in these bindings as predominantly pinniped (seal) species. In particular, the collagen-based eZooMS technique facilitated the classification of seven chemises into the pinniped clade, although species identification remained elusive, except in one additional case where a bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) was definitively identified. aDNA analysis was instrumental in verifying the origin of the sealskins, with four samples identified as harbour seals and a single sample as a harp seal and sourced to (contemporary) populations in Scandinavia, Scotland and Iceland or Greenland. This geographical inference supports the notion of a robust medieval trade network that went well beyond local sourcing, linking the Cistercians to wider economic circuits that included fur trade with the Norse. The study, therefore, highlights the use of an unexpected skin (seal) from an unexpected source (the northwestern Atlantic). The widespread use of sealskins in Cistercian libraries such as Clairvaux and its daughter abbeys during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries hints at broader trade networks that brought, for example, walrus ivory from the far north into continental Europe. This integration of the biological sciences into the study of historical manuscripts not only provides a clearer picture of the material culture of medieval Europe, but also illustrates the extensive trade networks that Cistercian monasteries were part of, challenging previous assumptions about local resource use in manuscript production. en
dc.description.sponsorshipHorizon 2020 (787282); ERC (Investigator grant 295729-CodeX)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionPublished Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid241090en
dc.identifier.citationLévêque, É., Teasdale, M. D., Fiddyment, S., Bro-Jørgensen, M. H., Spindler, L., Macleod, R., Bougard, F., Tange Olsen, M. and Collins, M. (2025) 'Hiding in plain sight: the biomolecular identification of pinniped use in medieval manuscripts', Royal Society Open Science, 12(4), p.241090. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.241090en
dc.identifier.doi10.1098/rsos.241090en
dc.identifier.issn20545703en
dc.identifier.issued4
dc.identifier.journaltitleRoyal Society Open Scienceen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/17337
dc.identifier.volume12
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherRoyal Society Publishingen
dc.relation.project787282en
dc.relation.project295729en
dc.rights© 2025 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the CreativeCommons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permitsunrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectBiocodicologyen
dc.subjectMedieval manuscriptsen
dc.subjectNorse trade networksen
dc.subjectPinnipeden
dc.subjectRomanesque bindingsen
dc.subjectSealskinen
dc.titleHiding in plain sight: The biomolecular identification of pinniped use in medieval manuscriptsen
dc.typeArticle (peer reviewed)en
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