Mark de Kreij, professor of Greek literature at Radboud University, was working through a collection of Egyptian and Greek texts at Utrecht University library when he recognized words from Homer on a torn scrap of parchment.
I love that this tiny scrap survived for roughly 1,700 years, ended up in a library collection, and then just sat there waiting for somebody to realize what the hell it was.
And a pocket-sized Odyssey! Somehow that makes it even better.
My paperback copy of the Odyssey dates to the 1960s… perhaps my grandchildren(should I have any, though I’m recently hopeful 👍🏼) will read it one day, but the age of this scrap is beyond amazing! Great find.
I love that this tiny scrap survived for roughly 1,700 years, ended up in a library collection, and then just sat there waiting for somebody to realize what the hell it was.
And a pocket-sized Odyssey! Somehow that makes it even better.
Glad this affirmation of Homer's actual existence is in good hands.
Funny to think that even in the 3rd of 4th century C.E. this would have been considered a classic.
My paperback copy of the Odyssey dates to the 1960s… perhaps my grandchildren(should I have any, though I’m recently hopeful 👍🏼) will read it one day, but the age of this scrap is beyond amazing! Great find.