Originally aired on Feb 15, 2023

Jesse and Priscilla talk with medieval scholar Dr. Lisa Fagin Davis, who identified a page at an estate sale that turned out to be a lost fragment of a medieval manuscript from around 1285 that she had been studying for 15 years.

Looted medieval manuscripts are difficult to track and conserve. Efforts to restore and repair them are important to recover some of the loss.

• Many books, art, and sculptures from the medieval period have been destroyed, making the restoration work valuable.
• Lost manuscripts may never be known until they are found.
• As a medievalist, any effort to restore some of the loss is valuable to someone.
• The fire at Notre Dame is an example of how significant works of art can be lost.
• Medieval manuscripts are difficult to track and are often stolen.
• Looters sell manuscripts to collectors, making them difficult to retrieve.
• Efforts to restore and repair looted medieval manuscripts are important to recover some of the cultural loss.