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Welcome
to the Book of Deer Project.
The
Book of Deer is a tenth century illuminated
manuscript from North East Scotland. As the
only pre-Norman manuscript from this area known
as "former Pictland" it provides us
with a unique insight into the early church,
culture and society of this period.
Amid the Latin text and the Celtic illuminations
there can be found the oldest pieces of Gaelic
writing to have survived from early Medieval
Scotland.
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The site covers two separate but complementary
elements inspired by The Book of Deer. The first
being The Book of Deer Manuscript which is made
up of the 84 folios (leaf of paper numbered
on one side only)with illuminations.
The
second is The Book of Deer Project. This is
a community based initiative and the catalyst
for renewed academic interest, research and
community development in the North East of Scotland.
The Book of Deer Project is a company limited
by guarantee and is recognised as a local Scottish
Charity. The Scottish Charity number for the
Book of Deer Project is SCO30656.
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The impetus for
this initiative comes from a Community Project
undertaken within the area around Old Deer in
Buchan, Aberdeenshire, in collaboration with
Aberdeen University, Cambridge University Library,
Aberdeenshire Council and BT Scotland.
The Project
focuses on the historic connections between
the area and the Book of Deer. The
book has been described as "one of the
principal antiquities of Celtic Scotland".
Central to work of the Project is the creation
of this website and archive which provides access
to a virtual Book of Deer with information on
its unique features. Particular focus is given
to cultural aspects of linguistics, theology
and history. The association of Latin texts
and Old Irish Rubrics within the manuscript
is unique.
The
book of deer:-HE BOOK
OF
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is illuminated in a style related to that
used in the books of Dimma and Durrow.
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by 1000 it was in the possession of the Monastery
of Deer, a sixth century foundation at Old
Deer in Aberdeenshire associated with Columba
and his disciple Drostan.
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in the twelfth century the Monks of Deer used
the blank spaces and the margins in the book
to record details of grants of land to the
Monastery and its foundation legend. These
"notitiae" are the earliest continuous
examples of written Scots Gaelic.
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This
web site therefore offers the ideal synthesis
of knowledge, both ancient and modern, and equally
provides a stimulus for pan-Celtic debate.
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Local community enthusiasm
is linked with scholarly expertise through the
Advisory Committee based at the University of
Aberdeen's, Elphinstone Institute. The Book
of Deer Project, based in Central Buchan, in
collaboration with the Advisory Committee have
been the development forum for the project to
digitise the manuscript's 84 folios and make
them available online.
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Funded
in part by European Leader II, Aberdeenshire Council,
BT Scotland and with the continuing support and
encouragement from our local MP Alex Salmond (now
First Minister), the first stage of creating a
web site and archive is nearing completion.
Through
the latest imaging technology, the manuscript
is now more accessible than the book itself
could ever be. Details of the book can be displayed
at many levels - the languages (Latin, Old Irish
and Gaelic), the illustrations and significance
of the book for history and law etc are thus
available in a way inconceivable until very
recently. |
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The Book of Deer is a symbol
of the shared cultural and religious inheritance
of Scotland and Ireland. Its association with
Celtic Christianity also links it with the North
of England. For the new Millennium this community
initiative in Aberdeenshire can now be shared
globally.
The regeneration
of any community is directly linked to its ability
to constantly transform itself without losing
sight of its cultural roots.
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