Tiberius Bede facts for kids
The Tiberius Bede is a super old and special book from the 8th century. It's officially called British Library, MS Cotton Tiberius C. II. This book is an illuminated manuscript, which means it's a hand-written book with beautiful pictures and decorations. It contains a famous history book called Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, written by a wise monk named Bede.
This manuscript is one of only four books from the 700s that still exist and contain Bede's history! This makes it incredibly important because it's very close to what Bede himself originally wrote. The book has 155 pages, called vellum folios, which are made from specially prepared animal skin. Some people think this very book might have been the one King Alfred the Great used when he translated Bede's history into Old English, an early form of the English language. You'll also find amazing capital letters in the book that are shaped like animals. These are called zoomorphic initials, and they show a mix of art styles from Britain and Ireland (called Insular art) and from mainland Europe.
The Tiberius Bede: An Ancient Treasure
The Tiberius Bede is a very old and important book. It was made around the 700s, which is over 1,200 years ago! Imagine writing a whole book by hand, then drawing and painting all the pictures. That's what an illuminated manuscript is. This particular book tells the story of the early English people and their church.
What Makes This Book Special?
The Tiberius Bede is unique for a few reasons:
- It's Super Old: It's one of the oldest copies of Bede's history still around. This means it's very close to what Bede wrote himself.
- Hand-Made Art: Every page was written and decorated by hand. The capital letters often look like animals, which is a cool art style from that time.
- Animal Skin Pages: The pages aren't made of paper like today. They are made from vellum, which is a type of parchment made from animal skin. This was common for books back then.
- King Alfred's Connection: Some historians believe this very book might have been used by Alfred the Great, a famous English king, when he translated Bede's history into Old English. This shows how important the book was even hundreds of years ago.
The 'Tiberius Group': A Family of Manuscripts
The Tiberius Bede is so famous that it gave its name to a whole group of other old books! This group is called the 'Tiberius' group, or sometimes the 'Canterbury' group. These books are connected because they share a similar art style. We don't know exactly where all these books were made, but some experts think they might have come from a region in England called Mercia. The idea is that artists in a certain area had a special way of drawing and decorating, and we can see that style in all these books.
