Category Archives: Radiocarbon analysis

The Upcoming Sale of the Crosby-Schøyen Codex (Just How Old is this Book?)

It has been an unusually busy news week for Coptic codices. I posted a few days ago about the Mudil Psalms codex, and then yesterday several news outlets reported that Christie’s will be auctioning off the Crosby-Schøyen codex, a papyrus … Continue reading

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Codices, Codicology, Crosby-Schøyen Codex, Maguid Sameda, Radiocarbon analysis, Schøyen Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Radiocarbon Analysis of Museum of the Bible Manuscripts: Bodmer Psalms

Thanks to Mike Holmes for informing me that the most recent issue of Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik contains an article reporting the results of radiocarbon analysis of five papyrus manuscripts and one parchment manuscript that took place about a … Continue reading

Posted in Bruce Ferrini, Dirk Obbink, Frieda Tchacos, Green Collection, Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Radiocarbon analysis, Tchacos-Ferrini Codices, Tchacos-Ferrini Exodus Codex | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Radiocarbon Analysis of Papyrus and Parchment Manuscripts: A List

It occurs to me that it would be useful to have (as complete as possible) a list of papyrus and parchment manuscripts that have been subjected to radiocarbon analysis. I have tried to arrange this list chronologically by the date … Continue reading

Posted in Cologne Mani Codex, Crosby-Schøyen Codex, Dead Sea Scrolls, Glazier Codex, P.Sapph. Obbink, Radiocarbon analysis | 11 Comments

A New Article on the Date of Codex Sinaiticus

The October 2022 issue of Journal of Theological Studies will contain an article I wrote on the dating of Codex Sinaiticus. It’s out now in pre-print format, and thanks to my institution–MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society–the article … Continue reading

Posted in Codex Sinaiticus, Codices, Palaeography, Radiocarbon analysis | 3 Comments

Radiocarbon Dating of the Cologne Mani Codex

In volume 220 of Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik (2021), there is a short article by Cornelia Römer: “Die Datierung des Kölner Mani-Kodex” (pp. 94-96). The article reports the results of AMS radiocarbon analysis of the Cologne Mani codex. For … Continue reading

Posted in Anton Fackelmann, Codices, Codicology, Cologne Mani Codex, Radiocarbon analysis | 4 Comments

A New Project: The Early History of the Codex

A busy semester is now winding down, and I’m happy to announce that in August, I’ll be kicking off a new, five-year project: The Early History of the Codex: A New Methodology and Ethics for Manuscript Studies (EthiCodex) based here … Continue reading

Posted in Codices, Codicology, Radiocarbon analysis | 9 Comments

A New Radiocarbon Calibration Curve and Early Christian Manuscripts

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 | 7 Comments

The Radiocarbon Dating of the “New Sappho” Papyrus

In my last post on the various discrepancies in the origin story of the Sappho papyrus published in 2014, I mentioned an article by Dirk Obbink published in The Times Literary Supplement on 5 February 2014. In this article, Professor … Continue reading

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Dirk Obbink, P.Sapph. Obbink, Radiocarbon analysis | 12 Comments

God’s Library: Publication Day

So, it’s August 21. This is the official publication date for God’s Library (I’m not entirely sure what that means, because the book has been shipping from the publisher for a couple weeks now already). Thanks again to everyone involved … Continue reading

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Archaeological context, Book binding, Book covers, Codices, Find Stories, Manuscript Collections, Palaeography, Radiocarbon analysis | 6 Comments

Refining Radiocarbon Calibration for the Southern Levant

At the website for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a new article has been posted in pre-print format: “Fluctuating radiocarbon offsets observed in the southern Levant and implications for archaeological chronology debates.” While the title isn’t exactly … Continue reading

Posted in Dendrochronology, Radiocarbon analysis | 8 Comments