Cathedral scribe penned Salibsury Magna Carta

Handwriting analysis has been used to determine that the same cathedral scribe who wrote the Register of St. Osmund also penned the Salisbury Magna Carta.

Scholars have long thought that the Magna Carta was issued by the king in the Chancery, the king’s central court, written by his scribes there and then sent out to other locations in the shires, or counties, of England.

According to Treharne, her research suggests the Salisbury Magna Carta was not just received and preserved at Salisbury, but that the Salisbury Magna Carta was written at Salisbury by one of the cathedral’s own scribes. She recently co-published her findings with University of Glasgow historian Andrew Prescott.

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Story: Angela Becerra Vidergar, Stanford University | Photo: L.A. Cicero

3,000-year-old pottery found in Papua New Guinea

A piece of red, glossy pottery has been found in Papua New Guinea that dates back 3,000 years.

It was found in the highlands region, well away from the coast where there was regular contact with other seafaring pottery making cultures such as the Lapita people.

“It’s an example of how technology spread among cultures,” said Dr Tim Denham, from the ANU School of Archaeology and Anthropology in the College of Arts and Social Sciences.

“Some pottery must have soon found its way into the highlands, which inspired the highlanders to try making it themselves.”

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Story: Australian National University | Photo: Tim Denham