British scientists are heading to New Zealand to examine a 600-year-old scroll, known as the Canterbury Roll, in an effort to learn more about the War of the Roses, a series of English civil wars, which happen to be the inspiration for George R.R. Martin's series of fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire. Those books became basis for the hit HBO drama Game of Thrones.
According to news.com.au the scroll is "is the only genealogical scroll in the whole southern hemisphere." The scroll has been sitting in the University of Canterbury for the last 100 years and scientists are hoping to discover hidden information contained within it.
The scrolls were written by "key players in the Wars of the Roses — it was originally drawn up by the Lancastrian side in the conflict but it fell into Yorkist hands and they rewrote part of it.” Scientists hope to discover hidden writing using advanced equipment when the scan and digitize the historical document.
After they are done scanning and digitizing the scroll, they plan to make it available online for anybody to view.
If anything new is unearthed, George R.R. Martin might be interested, and could even work the new information into the final two books of A Song of Ice and Fire. Fans have been waiting for the sixth book, The Winds of Winter and is expected to be finally released sometime in 2018. No timetable has been set for the seventh and final book.
The HBO show will wrap up it's eight on final season in 2019.
Photo: University of Canterbury