Tag Archives: papyrology

Realistic Renderings of Papyrus Rolls in Stone

Posted on August 8, 2026 by Brent Nongbri

I’m always very interested to see renderings of papyrus rolls in ancient art, whether it is in fresco, manuscript illumination, or carved stone. When it comes to stone reliefs or statues, one needs to be careful to make sure that … Continue reading →

Posted in Book covers, Papyrus Making, Sculpture, Voluminology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Cambridge Papyrus of the Odyssey and the Nash Papyrus

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Brent Nongbri

In the last couple days, the Cambridge University Library has been posting about a papyrus in their collection that contains a passage from the Odyssey. This is Cambridge University Library Add MS 4074 (TM 61188), containing some fragmentary lines of … Continue reading →

Posted in F.C. Burkitt, Nash Papyrus, Palaeography | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A New Article on P.Oxy. 7.1008 and 7.1009 (P15 and P16)

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Brent Nongbri

The latest issue of Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft contains an article I wrote on two papyrus folia from Oxyrhynchus. Here is the abstract: P.Oxy. 7.1008 and 7.1009 (P15 and P16 in the INTF’s Kurzgefasste Liste) preserve portions of 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Codices, Codicology, Ink, Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Palaeography | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Conservation of a Papyrus Roll with No Glass Frames

Posted on April 14, 2026 by Brent Nongbri

Some of the real workhorses of both my teaching and public presentations over the years have been a group of papyrus rolls in Berlin. They are a set of Greek documentary rolls from the second half of the second century … Continue reading →

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The Provenance and Date of the Berlin Cretans

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Brent Nongbri

One of the reference points that used to come up very frequently in discussions of the earliest codices was a manuscript of Euripides–the Berlin Cretans, an isolated parchment folium that was published in 1907 as BKT V.2 XVII (P.Berol. inv. … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeological context, Berlin Cretans, Codices, Codicology, Palaeography | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Recette de Saint-Remi and the Layout of an Early Greek Parchment Codex

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Brent Nongbri

As 2025 comes to a close, one last article is coming out: “Mise-en-page Between Roman Egypt and Medieval Europe: The Recette de Saint-Remi and the Layout of an Early Greek Parchment Codex (P.Ant. 1 27),” Fragmentology 8 (2025), 155-169. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Antinoopolis Papyri, Archaeological context, Palaeography | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Taking Care of Papyrus Scrolls in Antiquity

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Brent Nongbri

The digital edition of a new book has recently become available: The volume is the result of a workshop back in 2022 in which I was fortunate enough to participate. It was a somewhat unusual seminar in the sense that … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Trade in Antiquity, Voluminology | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A New Article on Carl Schmidt and the Antiquities Trade

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Brent Nongbri

The coptologist Carl Schmidt (1868-1938) was very active in the antiquities trade. His name is associated with the purchase of many well known manuscripts, including one I’ve discussed here. An important new article on Schmidt has appeared in a journal … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Carl Schmidt, Hamburg Bilingual Papyrus, Maurice Nahman | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Roberta Mazza’s Stolen Fragments

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Brent Nongbri

I’ve just finished reading Roberta Mazza’s excellent new book, Stolen Fragments: Black Markets, Bad Faith, and the Illicit Trade in Ancient Artefacts (Stanford: Redwood Press, 2024). This is a well organized and highly readable book. It tells a story–equal parts … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquities Dealers and Collectors, Antiquities Market, Book Reviews, Bruce Ferrini, Dead Sea Scrolls, Dirk Obbink, Fakes and Forgeries, Green Collection, Lee Biondi, P.Sapph. Obbink, Scott Carroll | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A Correction and a Codicological Mystery in P.Bodmer 13

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Brent Nongbri

I only recently learned of the death, about a year ago now, of Stuart G. Hall (1928-2023). It sent me back to an article that we wrote together. In 2015, I stumbled across grainy black and white photographs of what … Continue reading →

Posted in Bodmer composite codex, Bodmer Papyri, Book binding, Codices, Codicology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment