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Author Archives: Brent Nongbri
The Color(s) of Papyrus and Pliny’s Instructions
A few months ago, I observed that two stalks of papyrus from the same plant could produce quite different colored sheets of papyrus. I’ve also noticed that the same stalk of papyrus can produce strips that, although they look the … Continue reading
The Robinson Papyri, and the Mississippi Papyri, and William H. Willis
Several years ago, I tried to sort out some of the confusion that surrounds the so-called Robinson Papyri, a collection of papyrus manuscripts accumulated by the archaeologist David M. Robinson (1880-1958) and eventually inherited by the classicist William H. Willis … Continue reading
P.Oxy. 87.5575 and P.Oxy. 60.4009: The Same Copyist
The editors of P.Oxy. 87.5575, the recently published papyrus fragment with a collection of sayings of Jesus, stated that P.Oxy. 60.4009, another papyrus with material about Jesus, “may well be in the same hand, though the loops in that papyrus … Continue reading
Posted in Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Palaeography
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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
6 Comments
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
Variant Readings 