Category Archives: British Museum

Ancient Jewish Fish Sauce?

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Brent Nongbri

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 | Leave a comment

The Trojan Horse in Pakistan and Questions of Provenance

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

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

Newsreel Footage of Codex Sinaiticus from 1933

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Brent Nongbri

The major portions of Codex Sinaiticus that now reside in the British Library were bound into a volume by Douglas Cockerell after the leaves were closely studied by H.J.M. Milne and T.C. Skeat in their classic book, Scribes and Correctors … Continue reading →

Posted in British Museum, Codex Sinaiticus, Codices, Videos | 5 Comments

Ancient Manuscripts: Some Ethics Questions

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Brent Nongbri

In an earlier post, I mentioned some of my concern about the tendency to orient provenance discussions in relation to the year 1970, the date of the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, British Library Aristotle, British Museum, E. A. Wallis Budge | 1 Comment

Faces from Oxyrhynchus?

Posted on April 28, 2018 by Brent Nongbri

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of visiting the University of Edinburgh. In addition to chatting with a fascinating group of graduate students, I was able to squeeze in a quick trip to the National Museum of Scotland. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Market, British Museum, Fakes and Forgeries, Oxyrhynchus Sculpture, William Matthew Flinders Petrie | 4 Comments

Palaeography and the Hawara Homer: Part 1

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Brent Nongbri

In an earlier post, I talked about the archaeology of the Hawara Homer (LDAB 1695), a papyrus roll containing the second book of the Iliad found with an unadorned mummy during Flinders Petrie’s excavations in Hawara in 1888. In this … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambrosian Iliad, British Museum, Edward Maunde Thompson, Frederic Kenyon, Hawara Homer, Palaeography, William Matthew Flinders Petrie | 7 Comments

The Harris Homers and the Crocodile Pit of Maabdeh

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Brent Nongbri

In the 2017 issue of the Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists, I have an article that ended up being a sort trip down the rabbit hole. The title gives you an idea of the curious combination of topics: … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthony Charles Harris, Antiquities Market, British Museum, Find Stories, Harris Homer, Mummies, Selima Harris | 7 Comments