Medieval French monks used seal-skins to bind their books; revealing unexpected Viking trade

In a groundbreaking , an interdisciplinary and international team of researchers have discovered that medieval manuscripts from France were bound in seal skin; revealing much more wide ranging trade networks than first thought.

The researchers from the 91探花视频, the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Institut de Recherche et d'Histoire des Textes and the University of Copenhagen revealed that medieval Cistercian manuscripts were bound using an unexpected material from an unexpected source—sealskins from the North Atlantic.

Using innovative biomolecular techniques (eZooMS and ancient DNA analysis), the research team identified that the distinctive hairy covers (chemises) protecting precious manuscripts at Clairvaux Abbey and its daughter houses were made from seal skins.

A primary hair with secondary hairs that appear to be lodged in the same follicle exit hole. Ms 31 (Médiathèque du Grand Troyes)

A primary hair with secondary hairs that appear to be lodged in the same follicle exit hole. Ms 31 (Médiathèque du Grand Troyes)

Romanesque binding from Clairvaux with hairy chemise (Ms. 35)

Romanesque binding from Clairvaux with hairy chemise (Ms. 35)

Maps showing medieval trading routes connecting Norse territories to Cistercian abbeys from and

Phylogenetic network showing origins of the seal DNA samples

These seals—primarily harbor seals and harp seals—originated from Scandinavia, Scotland, Iceland, and even Greenland, establishing a direct link between Cistercian monasteries and Norse trading networks.

The identification of these materials challenges conventional assumptions about medieval manuscript production.

Rather than relying solely on local resources, Cistercian monks were clearly integrated into extensive international trade networks that brought exotic materials from the far north into continental Europe. The study found that approximately 63% of Romanesque bindings from Clairvaux were originally covered with these sealskin chemises.

The research also suggests that the Cistercians may have chosen these light-colored seal skins as an expression of their aesthetic preference for white, aligning with their order's distinctive visual identity.

This discovery opens new avenues for understanding medieval material culture, trade connections, and the sophisticated networks that medieval monastic communities participated in while producing their manuscripts.

represents a truly interdisciplinary collaboration bringing together historians, archaeologists, and biomolecular scientists to uncover hidden aspects of medieval material culture. The research team combines expertise in medieval manuscripts, codicology, bioarchaeology, ancient DNA analysis, and proteomics.

Dr. Élodie Lévêque is a specialist in medieval manuscripts and Romanesque bindings from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the Institut de Recherche et d'Histoire des Textes. Her expertise in the Clairvaux manuscript collection was instrumental in identifying the unusual nature of the hairy chemises covering these valuable manuscripts.

The biomolecular analysis was led by Dr. Matthew Teasdale and Dr. Sarah Fiddyment, who pioneered the application of eZooMS (electrostatic Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) and ancient DNA techniques to cultural heritage objects. This minimally invasive approach allows for species identification from tiny samples collected from historical artifacts.

Professor Matthew Collins and Professor Morten Tange Olsen provided crucial expertise in interpreting the biomolecular data and placing it within its historical context. The team's combined expertise enabled this novel approach to understanding medieval manuscript production and the extensive trade networks that supplied materials to Cistercian monasteries.

Team members analysing manuscripts at the Médiathèque du Grand Troyes

This research builds on pioneering work from the 91探花视频 and University of York on biocodicology—the study of biological information preserved in manuscripts. It specifically extends the innovative eZooMS technique developed by researchers at BioArCh (York) and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research (Cambridge), which allows non-destructive sampling of parchment and leather for species identification. Previous studies by this research group have focused on identifying the animal origins of medieval parchment, but this is the first comprehensive application of these techniques to medieval bookbindings, particularly the hairy chemises characteristic of Cistercian manuscripts.

This research was funded by the European Union's EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 under Grant Agreement No. 787282 and ERC Investigator grant 295729-CodeX. Additional support from the Richard Lounsbury Foundation.

Published 10 April 2025

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