Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Decoded at last: the 'classical holy grail' that may rewrite the history of the world
RealOpinion.com ^

Posted on 04/17/2005 11:04:21 PM PDT by illbill

For more than a century, it has caused excitement and frustration in equal measure - a collection of Greek and Roman writings so vast it could redraw the map of classical civilisation. If only it was legible.

Now, in a breakthrough described as the classical equivalent of finding the holy grail, Oxford University scientists have employed infra-red technology to open up the hoard, known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, and with it the prospect that hundreds of lost Greek comedies, tragedies and epic poems will soon be revealed.

(Excerpt) Read more at realopinion.com ...


TOPICS: Books/Literature; History; Politics; Religion; Science; Society
KEYWORDS: archaeology; egypt; epigraphyandlanguage; ggg; godsgravesglyphs; history; oxyrhynchus; oxyrhynchuspapyri; religion

1 posted on 04/17/2005 11:04:22 PM PDT by illbill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: illbill

Is this like finding the backup tapes for the lost library at Alexandria?


2 posted on 04/17/2005 11:51:43 PM PDT by AZLiberty (WikiWork -- The meme starts here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AZLiberty

"Is this like finding the backup tapes for the lost library at Alexandria?"

That's what some folks seem to think. I never read the MSM anymore, but so far I've only read about this on a couple of threads here. But it is pretty interesting.

I kind of doubt it's going to change the history of the world.


3 posted on 04/18/2005 1:46:01 AM PDT by jocon307 (Irish grandmother rolls in grave, yet again!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: jocon307

It could be anything from a vast collection of pornography to all the lost works of the ancient Greek masters that we only know about from later writers making references to them.


4 posted on 04/18/2005 3:39:37 AM PDT by jimtorr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv
ping. Another instance of the same article is at The Independent: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=630165.
5 posted on 04/18/2005 1:08:57 PM PDT by Mike Fieschko
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AZLiberty
Is this like finding the backup tapes for the lost library at Alexandria?

When the article (one like it that is) said that these were papyri, I got a little excited, but it turned out to come from a site more than 160 km from Alexandria. If the vintage of some of the scrolls is correct, they could have been made as copies from the "Ship's Library" originals. By the time the library was burned (according to a Moslem historian, the half-million books were burned by order of the Moslem caliph after the Conquest; not by Julius Caesar as is so often still heard; they were used to fuel the many hot baths in Alexandria, and this took six months) the papyrus originals had been replaced by more durable parchment. Presumably the Great Library papyri were dumped somewhere, or given away, or otherwise disposed of, and may yet emerge from a pile of refuse. That will be a great day.
6 posted on 04/18/2005 9:43:02 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (FR profiled updated Monday, April 11, 2005. Fewer graphics, faster loading.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Mike Fieschko

Thanks Mike, for the ping. This is the, hmm, third? I'm adding it to the GGG list, but not sending the ping. :') Thanks again.

EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY UNLOCKS SECRETS OF THE ANCIENTS
The Sleeping Scotsman, Tall and Handsome Built
Sat 16 Apr 2005 | (Drudgereport.com) Scotsman.com
Posted on 04/16/2005 5:01:00 PM PDT by tricky_k_1972
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1385203/posts

WOW (Breakthrough in interpreting Oxyrhynchus Papyri)
the Light of Reason | 4/17/05 | Arthur Silber?
Posted on 04/17/2005 6:14:39 AM PDT by bitt
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1385405/posts


7 posted on 04/18/2005 9:46:07 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (FR profiled updated Monday, April 11, 2005. Fewer graphics, faster loading.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

Fascinating history of the library. Notes that the library was *not* burned by Julius Caesar, and in fact was around during Roman times, and was finally consigned to the flames by the Moslems:

The Vanished Library The Vanished Library
by Luciano Canfora
tr by Martin Ryle

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest
-- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

8 posted on 04/18/2005 9:50:48 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (FR profiled updated Monday, April 11, 2005. Fewer graphics, faster loading.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv
Fascinating history of the library.

There's also POxy: Oxyrhynchus Online at the University of Oxford, and Waste Paper City at the P.Oxy site.
9 posted on 04/19/2005 2:46:58 AM PDT by Mike Fieschko
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Mike Fieschko

Thanks for the links. I thought I'd posted those over in the "Extraordinary" thread, but hadn't.


10 posted on 04/19/2005 8:33:33 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (FR profiled updated Monday, April 11, 2005. Fewer graphics, faster loading.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson