7th century Koran fragments discovered
[BBC] ...Finding out we had one of the oldest fragments of the Koran in the whole world has been fantastically exciting."
The fragments of the Koran are still legible.
The tests, carried out by the Oxford University Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, showed that the fragments, written on sheep or goat skin, were among the very oldest surviving texts of the Koran.
These tests provide a range of dates, showing that, with a probability of more than 95%, the parchment was from between 568 and 645.
interestingly, script is in a form of Hijazi calligraphic that the Saudis would probably consider too decorative and, if brought for the Hajj, the Saudis would seize it and burn it.
Very exciting, indeed. I wonder how the text compares to modern Korans -- copy errors creep in over time, if nothing else. |
Posted by: lord garth 2015-07-22 |