Important New Anglo-Saxon Coin: Update

The rare penny of Ætheberht II reported here last month has now been given on long-term loan to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, by a private collector. It will go on display to the public shortly.

Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru/A Dictionary of the Welsh Language goes online

Silva Nurmio writes:

26 June 2014 saw the long-awaited launch of Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru/A Dictionary of the Welsh Language (GPC) online. The GPC is the standard historical dictionary of the Welsh language. Entries include a definition in Welsh and English; if known, an etymology and cognates from other languages are also given. These are followed by a list of attestations from texts from all periods of the language, and common collocations and phrases are listed for most words. The first edition of the dictionary was published in four volumes between 1967 and 2002 (you can read more about the history of GPC here). In 2002 work was begun on a second edition which has so far progressed to the word brig and has been published in twelve booklets. In the online version, clicking ‘first edition’ at the top takes you to a PDF view of the entry in the first edition, allowing comparison of the first and second edition entries.

The greatest advantage of the online version is that it is free; the print version of the first edition at £350 is a serious investment. GPC online opens up the dictionary to a wider audience, including students and people with a general interest in Welsh who have not had access to a print copy or who may have found it a bit challenging to use. The online version allows you to search by English definition as well as the Welsh headword and you can search for full phrases in both languages, making the dictionary more searchable than before.

The GPC is an invaluable source for students of Welsh, and the Celtic languages in general, and the new online version means it is now accessible from anywhere.

Links: see here for the main website; follow GPC on Facebook and Twitter. Both feature Gair y Dydd/Word of the Day (in Welsh only, so good for practice if you’re a learner).

North Britons on BBC Radio 4

Those of you familiar with the northern reaches of the M6 will doubtless have seen signposts to the Rheged Centre. In this afternoon's edition of Making History, historian Tim Clarkson (author of Men of the North) is asked for his thoughts on where Rheged really was; you can listen on Iplayer here (Rheged from 12 minutes in).

Money and its Use in Early Medieval Europe

ASNC Research Fellow Dr. Rory Naismith has written the inaugural post for the Past and Present Society's new blog. You can read the post, which is based on Rory's recent article in the journal Past and Present, by clicking here.