Papyrus fragment P. Fouad inv. 218University of Liège/N.Carlig
Posted on 04/13/2026 8:34:49 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
According to a statement released by the University of Liège, a 2,000-year-old fragment of papyrus recovered from the archives of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo preserves 30 previously unknown verses written by Empedocles of Agrigentum, a Greek philosopher who lived in the fifth century B.C. The work of Empedocles had been known only through quotes recorded by later authors, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Plutarch. Papyrologist Nathan Carlig of the University of Liège realized that the papyrus fragment, labeled P. Fouad inv. 218, was an unknown fragment of Physica, a poem written by Empedocles. These verses concern the philosopher's thoughts on particle effluvia and sensory perceptions, particularly vision. Carlig and his colleagues suggest that the newly discovered material could reposition Empedocles in the history of philosophy as a precursor to the ancient Greek atomists, who proposed that the universe is made up of fundamental components that are indestructible, unchangeable, and too small to be seen. To read about the discovery of previously unknown verses from two plays by the tragedian Euripides, go to "Lost Greek Tragedies Revived."
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Papyrus fragment P. Fouad inv. 218University of Liège/N.Carlig
Well u of liege, what did the lines exactly say?...
..”.cause I’m the Pompatus of love?”
Or, “give me dolma or death?”
I dunno...its all Greek to me...
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-previously-unpublished-verses-empedocles-papyrus.html
https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75792
Roses are
Violets are
You are
And I Lo
We will never know, but we now know THIS MUCH MORE!
Huh huh. Thirty new lines is a lot, given the age of the material and the fragility of the medium.
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.
