Papyrus Reveals Ancient Stories

[Dover]

Papyrus Reveals Ancient Stories
By Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News



Feb. 8, 2006— Italian researchers have recovered part of a lost ancient Greek treatise, the earliest cartography of the Greek-Roman era, and a sketchbook for ancient painters — all by piecing together 50 fragments of a first- century B.C. parchment used in a mummy's wrapping.

Known as the papyrus of Artemidorus, the 2.5-meter- (eight-foot-) long and 32.5-centimeter- (13-inch-) wide parchment will go on display for the first time this week in Turin at the exhibition "The three lives of the papyrus of Artemidorus," which is part of the cultural events accompanying the Winter Olympics.

The papyrus "helps write new pages of Greek literature, cartography and art history," according to Claudio Gallazzi, a professor of Papirology at the University of Milan and the exhibition's curator.

"One might wonder how a single papyrus can conceal such a big treasure. Well, it was used at different times, for different purposes, and by different people," Gallazzi said.

The papyrus' story begins around the mid-first century B.C., in Alexandria, Egypt, when a copyist transcribed a book by Greek geographer Artemidorus.

Born in Ephesus around 100 B.C., Artemidorus wrote 11 books on his Mediterranean travels, which are now lost in their entirety. ...>

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060206/papyrus_arc.html

[Lasher]

1. Is it a papyrus or a parchment scroll?

The two writing materials are quite different, you know.

[Book Lover]

2. It's all papyrus

I noticed the error also. I guess the science copy editor was out that day...

[madrchsod]

3. copy editor?

we don`t need no stink`n copy editor!