What’s the oldest book you have ever discovered?

Happening in the World: Cambridge University researchers found a rare manuscript containing medieval tales of Merlin and Arthur that is more than 400 years old. The manuscript included extremely rare stories of Arthurian romance, most likely copied between 1275 and 1315, and some of the “Suite Vulgate du Merlin,” an Old French sequel to the start of the Arthur legend. There are less than 40 copies of the Suite Vulgate still in existence, and none are exactly the same since they were each hand-copied by scribes. Since announcing their findings this week, the researchers have published a digitized version of the manuscript online. The researchers are currently using multispectral imaging to uncover the parchment’s layers to reveal legible text and recover the material. (NYT)

Happening in the US: The Utah Legislature has approved a measure that bans the display of all flags, except those that are approved, in schools and government buildings. This measure became a law on Thursday, approving only the United States flag, the Utah flag, and military flags to be displayed. Rights groups in Utah have protested the bill and said that this measure is an attempt to repress political disagreement and self-expression. The display of flags has become a controversial and polarizing debate largely focused on Pride flags and other expressions of LGBTQIA+ support. Other states, including Idaho, have passed similar laws, and states such as Florida are considering similar proposals. (NYT)

Happening in NYC: New York State is on track to prohibit students from using their smartphones during the entire school day, a policy Governor Kathy Hochul and teacher unions have been pushing for. The restriction would be considered bell-to-bell, meaning the students would not be able to use their phones for the entirety of the day. Notably, the United Federation of Teachers, representing New York City educators, is standing behind this plan. There is some discussion of only banning phones during instructional periods versus an all-day ban, and students were able to voice their varying concerns during a youth conference at the state capital. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: On Monday, March 31, the Heyman Center for the Humanities is hosting an event to celebrate the recent work by Rosalind C. Morris. The event will focus on Morris’s book, Unstable Ground, The Lives, Deaths, and Afterlives of God in South Africa. The book recounts field research conducted across 25 years concerning the gold mines in South Africa. The event will have four speakers, including Lisa Stevenson, an associate professor and William Dawson Scholar in the Department of Anthropology at McGill University. To learn more about the event, click here.

Image via Bwarchives