Medieval Welsh law book sold for $839,532July 10, 2012 - 18:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - One of the first medieval manuscripts to be written in Welsh has been saved for the nation after being sold at auction for £541,250 ($839,532), BBC News said. It is believed the 14th Century pocket book, called The Laws of Hywel Dda, was taken to America by Welsh settlers in the 1700s. The buyer was the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The book was expected to fetch between £500,000 and £700,000 at Sotheby's. The London auction house said it believed the book was back in Britain for the first time in at least 150 years. It was sold by the Massachusetts Historical Society of Boston. Tenth century Welsh ruler Hywel Dda (Hywel The Good) created the country's first uniform legal system. A sense of fairness ran through the laws, including how they dealt with the rights of women. Dr Tim Bolton, a specialist in medieval manuscripts at Sotheby's, said the lot was the first of its kind to be auctioned for almost a century. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Iran’s Red Crescent sends aid to Armenia’s flood-hit regions The Iranian Red Crescent Society has sent humanitarian aid to the victims of deadly floods that hit northern Armenia on May 25-26. Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. |