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Author Archives: Brent Nongbri
More Details on the Possible Codex at Graz
Earlier this year, I noted the news that we may have a new candidate for the earliest surviving portion of a codex, P.Hib. 113, a papyrus excavated from the Egyptian town of Hibeh and now kept at the University of … Continue reading
Posted in Book binding, Codices, Codicology, Mummy cartonnage, P.Hib. 113
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The Date of the New Oxyrhynchus Sayings of Jesus P.Oxy. 87.5575
The publication of the latest volume of The Oxyrhynchus Papyri has been in the news. Among the newly published pieces is a small fragment of a leaf of a papyrus codex that contains a previously unknown collection of sayings of … Continue reading
Notes on a Forger’s Methods
John de Monins Johnson (1882-1956) was in some ways a kind of successor to Grenfell and Hunt for a short period in the early twentieth century. Before taking up a position at Oxford University Press, he had training as a … Continue reading
Posted in Antiquities Market, Fakes and Forgeries
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Is “Papyrus (Roll) Maker” (chartopoios) an Ancient Word?
In literature about the process of papyrus production in antiquity, the word χαρτοποιός (“papyrus maker” or “papyrus roll manufacturer”) comes up with some frequency. What’s odd is that its role in the discussion is out of proportion to its attestation. … Continue reading
Posted in Papyrus Making
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Snowy White Papyrus
I’ve been experimenting with making my own papyrus and discovering that there are lots of variables to control in order to make good quality writing material. One thing that especially surprised me has to do with the color of papyrus. … Continue reading
Posted in Papyrus Making, Voluminology
2 Comments
What Do We Mean By “Codex”?
P.Hib. 113, the papyrus kept at Graz that has recently been proposed as being the earliest surviving remains of a codex, continues to be in the news. I made a brief post about it some days ago, and in the … Continue reading
Posted in Codices, Codicology, P.Hib. 113, Tablets
11 Comments
The Oldest Codex?
News reports coming out of Graz today suggest that a papyrus in the collection of the University of Graz may be the earliest surviving specimen of a bound book with pages, possibly as early as the third century BCE. It … Continue reading
Posted in Codices, Codicology, P.Hib. 113
7 Comments
A Book of Psalms and a Missing Page Number
As part of the EthiCodex project, our team has been revisiting the often fragmentary remains of early codices. Thankfully, many collections have made digital images of their materials widely available. But sometimes it is also necessary to see things in … Continue reading
Posted in Antiquities Market, Bernard Grenfell, Codices, Codicology, Michigan Papyri
3 Comments
The Helgö Buddha
The news of the excavation of a small statue of the Buddha in Egypt is very exciting. But at least one of the claims about this statue doesn’t seem quite right. I have in mind this statement in The Smithsonian: … Continue reading
Posted in Archaeological context, Buddha
4 Comments
Ancient Jewish Fish Sauce?
When I visit museums, I always keep an eye out for ancient Jewish and Christian artifacts. I recently (may have) encountered one that I had overlooked on previous visits to the British Museum. The museum holds a coarse ware jar … Continue reading
Posted in British Museum, Judaism
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Variant Readings 