BY: SANJAY VERMA
The Gutenberg Bible, printed by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450-1455, is the first book created with mass-produced movable type. It represents the traditional concept of a book and is exceptionally rare, with only 22 copies known to exist today.
Learn More
The Book of Kells, dating to around 800 AD, is an Irish treasure found in Trinity College Library, Dublin. It boasts intricate ornamentation, four New Testament Gospels, and 340 calfskin vellum folios. Initially associated with Iona, Scotland, it's a masterpiece of early manuscript art.
Learn More
The St. Cuthbert Gospel, Europe's oldest surviving book from the 7th century, was rediscovered in 1104 at Durham Cathedral and later resided in the British Library, acquired from a Jesuit community in 1979.
Learn More
The Garima Gospels, Ethiopia's oldest illuminated Christian manuscripts, were long thought to be from the 11th century but recent tests suggest a much earlier date, 330-650 AD. These sacred texts are preserved at the Abba Garima Monastery and believed to be authored by Abba Garima.
Learn More
13 sealed codices found in Egypt (1945) containing Gnostic treatises, works from the Corpus Hermitcum, and the sole complete text of the Gospel of Thomas. Likely from the 3rd-4th centuries, they influenced modern research on early Christianity and Gnosticism.
Learn More
It is a vital ancient manuscript. As one of the oldest, it contains the Christian Bible in Greek, originating from the 4th century. While parts of the Old Testament are missing, it's still highly regarded for its influence on biblical text research.
Learn More
Discovered in 1964 in Pyrgi, Italy, date back to 500 BCE. They are notable for being bilingual, with two tablets in Etruscan and one in Phoenician, among the oldest written languages. Researchers use Phoenician to interpret the Etruscan texts on these ancient artifacts.
Learn More
The Etruscan Gold Book, potentially the world's oldest book from 600 BCE, is made of pure gold and features intricate illustrations. Discovered in Bulgaria in the 1950s, it was later donated to the National History Museum. Expert verification confirms its authenticity.
Learn More