Oxyrhynchus Papyri

[Ludovicus]

Hi,

Anyone interested in chatting about the wonderful stream of finds coming out of Oxyrhynchus, an ancient Greco-Roman site in Egypt where bits and pieces of long lost classics are coming to light? Anyone want to speculate on what might turn up in the next few years? Anyone got a wish list on that?

 

Ludovicus

 

for more:

 

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Infrared_techn...ssical_writings

 

http://www.papyrology.ox.ac.uk/

 

http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/oxyrhynchus/

[Virgil61]

Hi,

Anyone interested in chatting about the wonderful stream of finds coming out of Oxyrhynchus, an ancient Greco-Roman site in Egypt where bits and pieces of long lost classics are coming to light? Anyone want to speculate on what might turn up in the next few years? Anyone got a wish list on that?

 

Ludovicus

 

for more:

 

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Infrared_techn...ssical_writings

 

http://www.papyrology.ox.ac.uk/

 

http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/oxyrhynchus/

 

The Herculaneum Papyri are another great find. Over 1,000 scrolls burned to charcoal bundles have been found and are being painstakingly pulled apart and read using some sophisticated new technology. Unfortunately most of it so far is by a minor philosopher named Philodemus. There is a lot of hope and speculation that more scrolls are waiting under the largely unexcavated portion of the villa they belonged to.

 

My wish list would include all of Polybius works, all of Livy and any of the scores of lost histories we know of only by the name of their authors.

Edited December 15, 2005 by Virgil61

[Ursus]

Anyone interested in chatting about the wonderful stream of finds coming out of Oxyrhynchus, an ancient Greco-Roman site in Egypt where bits and pieces of long lost classics are coming to light? Anyone want to speculate on what might turn up in the next few years? Anyone got a wish list on that?

 

 

I would dearly love to see anything new concerning the Mithraic cult.

[Favonius Cornelius]

Talk about exciting! Finding writings has to be the ultimate in archaeological discovery. I'd love something from any historian who could fill in the gaps of history we have. Remember, even obscure philosophers might provide a snippet of a previous writer in their work, giving an indirect sampling.

[Pantagathus]

Virgil,

 

I agree with you especially in regards to Polybius. There is a lot of the 'geographic' portion of his work (Spain & the Atlantic coast) that I would love to see first hand.

 

& Ursus,

 

Though I agree with you, the very nature of the Mystery Cults makes it unlikely that we'll see much written revelations about them unless it's somebody from the early Christian era "spilling the beans" per se...

[Ursus]

Indeed, and that's exactly what I'm hoping for ... Christian polemics against Mithraism. One little comment along the lines that Mithras has replicated the Book of Isaiah has led to much speculation. A few more comments along those lines will help fill in the gaps.

[Primus Pilus]

Though I agree with you, the very nature of the Mystery Cults makes it unlikely that we'll see much written revelations about them unless it's somebody from the early Christian era "spilling the beans" per se...

 

And of course, even if it did exist, its revelation to the world would largely depend upon who found it.