Historic parchments may hold genetic clues that can be studied without harming the manuscripts.
Scientists have shown that it is possible to collect cellular material from historic parchment manuscripts without damaging them. The method allows genetic analysis of documents as old as 1,300 years, potentially revealing new details about trade routes, farming practices, and the animals used to make the manuscripts.
Parchment is produced from animal skins and was used for thousands of years across Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. It appears in many types of records, including legal texts and maps.
Parchment preserves hidden DNA
“Because they are made from animal skins, it is often possible to extract genetic information from parchments,” says Tim Stinson, corresponding author of a paper on this research and an associate professor of English at North Carolina State University. “That genetic information, in turn, offers us a window into the past, answering questions about things such as when and where a manuscript was made.”
“Because parchments have been in use for so long, and often record detailed historical information, the genetic information they contain can also shed light on the evolution of domesticated farm species, how breeds developed over time, livestock diseases and so on,” says Matthew Breen, coauthor of the paper and the Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology Genetics in NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
“This paper is particularly important because one of the biggest challenges for this emerging field of genetic analysis has been gaining access to historic parchments, due to concerns that collecting samples would damage these culturally significant artifacts,” says Stinson. “Our work shows that we can collect samples without harming the parchments, which is a big step forward.”
Brushes protect fragile manuscripts
For the study, the scientists used the nondestructive approach to gather cellular samples from 91 manuscripts in Duke University’s Rubenstein Library. The manuscripts came from places ranging from England to Ethiopia and were written between the late eighth century and the early 20th century.
The technique involves gently rubbing the parchment with a cytology brush, the same type of brush used for Pap smears.
“Cytology brushes can be used when dry and do an excellent job of harvesting cellular material without damaging the integrity of the artifact being sampled,” says Breen.
Genetics opens a new archive
After collecting the material from the brushes, the scientists extract the cells and use forensic-level, next-generation sequencing tools to recover and amplify genetic sequences.
“We’re essentially using state-of-the-art technologies and genetic analytical techniques to get new, empirical information regarding historical, cultural, and agricultural practices,” says Stinson.
“We’ve shown that we’re able to extract a tremendous amount of new information from these parchments without harming them,” says Breen. “This will hopefully engender trust with those organizations that are responsible for preserving these historic documents.”
“We’re excited about the potential of this field and are seeking funding that will allow us to explore that potential,” says Stinson. “We’ve demonstrated that this is a vast, untapped source of historical information, and we want to continue this pioneering work.”
“We have a remarkable opportunity here,” says Breen. “It is essentially a whole new field, bringing together a truly interdisciplinary range of expertise spanning fields from genetics to medieval history.”
Reference: “Adventures in the Animal Archive: New Techniques for the Genetic Analysis of Parchment Manuscripts” by Timothy L. Stinson, Melissa K. R. Scheible, Rachael Thomas, Nicholas E. Wagner, Matthew Breen, Benjamin J. Callahan and Kelly Meiklejohn, 14 May 2026, Manuscript Studies: A Journal of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies.
DOI: 10.1353/mns.2026.a990234.
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