Author Archives: Brent Nongbri

More on Dirk Obbink and the Provenance of the Sappho Papyrus

Posted on October 30, 2020

The latest issue of the Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists was just published. It contains an article by C. Michael Sampson, “Deconstructing the Provenances of P.Sapph.Obbink.” The article brings a load of new evidence to bear on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Dirk Obbink, Green Collection, Green Collection Sappho, P.Sapph. Obbink, Passages Speakers Series, Scott Carroll | Leave a comment

The Trojan Horse in Pakistan and Questions of Provenance

Posted on October 8, 2020

In the process of preparing to teach a course on ancient trade networks, I encountered a very informative chapter by Rachel Mairs in The Routledge Handbook of Archaeology and Globalization (2017), which introduced me to a fascinating artifact of which … Continue reading →

Posted in British Museum, Find Stories, Sculpture | Leave a comment

BnF Copte 135E and Codex Construction

Posted on September 27, 2020

After a recent conversation about early Coptic codices with Alin Suciu, I spent some time with the several distinct manuscripts catalogued under the designation “Copte 135” at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the so-called Akhmim Papyri. There are some really … Continue reading →

Posted in Book binding, Codices, Codicology | Leave a comment

A New Article on P52 in New Testament Studies

Posted on September 25, 2020

The latest issue of New Testament Studies contains an article I wrote on P.Ryl. 3.457, a.k.a. P52, the fragmentary leaf from a codex generally regarded as the earliest surviving copy of the Gospel According to John (and indeed earliest surviving … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, Bernard Grenfell, Eric Turner, New Testament, P.Ryl. 3.457, Palaeography, Rylands Papyri | Leave a comment

Mr. Spock and Qumran

Posted on September 19, 2020

Thanks to Stephen Goranson for drawing my attention to an episode of the television show “In Search of…” that aired on 9 February 1978. The topic of this episode, narrated by Leonard Nimoy, was the Dead Sea Scrolls. The content … Continue reading →

Posted in Dead Sea Scrolls | 2 Comments

Two Unheralded Excavators of Cave 1 at Qumran: Ibrahim Asuli and Mohamed Mustafa

Posted on September 6, 2020

In spare moments, I continue to work on the manuscripts generally associated with Cave 1 at Qumran. I’ve become very interested in the photographs of the excavations of Cave 1. Both Gerald Lankester Harding and Ovid R. Sellers took pictures … Continue reading →

Posted in Dead Sea Scrolls | 1 Comment

A New Radiocarbon Calibration Curve and Early Christian Manuscripts

Posted on August 23, 2020

I gave a talk on early Coptic books a few weeks ago in which I mentioned the results of some radiocarbon analyses of Coptic codices. Now I learn that some of what I said is already out of date! A … Continue reading →

Posted in Glazier Codex, Radiocarbon analysis | 3 Comments

A New Home for the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife?

Posted on August 11, 2020

Read down to the end of the story to learn where the “Jesus Wife” fragment is now: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/08/ariel-sabar-what-happened-to-the-gospel-of-jesus-wife/615160/

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Ariel Sabar’s Veritas: Some First Reactions

Posted on August 10, 2020

Thanks to Doubleday for sending along an advanced copy of Ariel Sabar’s new book, Veritas. I really didn’t know what to expect with this book. Sabar’s detailed article on the so-called “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” in The Atlantic in 2016 … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Fakes and Forgeries | 6 Comments

Upcoming Talk on Coptic Books

Posted on August 4, 2020

For those who might be interested, I will be giving a lecture on early Coptic books on 6 August at 6 pm (Berlin time).

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments