Author Archives: Brent Nongbri
Horizontal kolleseis in Papyrus Codices
Work on a recent article about the construction and date of P.Bodmer 14–15 had me thinking again about the manufacture of papyrus rolls. I was on the lookout for papyrus codices with bifolia cut from rolls made of very long … Continue reading
Papyri Related to the Alexander Romance
In the process of studying the Antinoopolis Charioteers papyrus, I spent some time with other papyri containing texts related to the Alexander Romance. I say “related to” the Alexander Romance, because it’s not entirely clear that any of these pieces … Continue reading
Manuscripts of the Alexander Romance
The Alexander Romance (or The Life of Alexander of Macedon or the Life and Acts of Alexander, or The History of Alexander the Great, King of the Macedonians…) survives in hundreds of manuscript copies in several languages. The Romance has … Continue reading
The Machine for Casting Lots for Positions at the Chariot Races
In an earlier post I noted the publication of an article in which I propose that the Antinoopolis Charioteers papyrus is a leaf from a codex containing an illustrated copy of the Alexander Romance. The illustration is broken off on … Continue reading
The Antinoopolis Charioteers Papyrus and Alexander the Great
One of the most famous illustrated papyri is a scrap that was found in a garbage heap in the Egyptian city of Antinoopolis. The papyrus contains a painting of a group of charioteers wearing brightly colored racing outfits. The papyrus … Continue reading
A New Article the Production and Date of P.Bodmer 14-15 (P75)
The latest issue of Novum Testamentum has an article that I wrote on the production and date of P.Bodmer 14-15 (a.k.a. P75, a.k.a. Pap.Hanna 1, Mater verbi, TM 61743), a papyrus codex containing the Gospel According to Luke and the … Continue reading
Erasing Wax Tablets in the Sun
I’ve had waxed tablets on my mind for the last few months. In 2025, I had the opportunity to meet up with the ERC TabulaRasa project, which is doing some very interesting cross-cultural work on erasable media from antiquity to … Continue reading
Realistic Renderings of Papyrus Rolls in Stone
I’m always very interested to see renderings of papyrus rolls in ancient art, whether it is in fresco, manuscript illumination, or carved stone. When it comes to stone reliefs or statues, one needs to be careful to make sure that … Continue reading
Early Publications on the Nash Papyrus
Thanks to the several readers who pointed out that the early issues of The Cambridge Review are available at HathiTrust (for those in the US). In the 1903 issue, F.C. Burkitt provides an account offering basically contemporary evidence for 1902 … Continue reading
The Purchase of the Nash Papyrus, Again
I continue to be puzzled by the problem of the purchase of the Nash Papyrus. In an earlier post, I noted that one finds two different dates in the literature, 1898 and 1902. I cited Emanuel Tov among those who … Continue reading
