papyrology

papyrology
papyrological /peuh puy'reuh loj"i keuhl, peuh pear'euh-/, adj.papyrologist, n.
/pap'euh rol"euh jee/, n.
the study of papyrus manuscripts.
[1895-1900; PAPYR(US) + -o- + -LOGY]

* * *

      the care, reading, and interpretation of ancient documents written on papyrus, which is of prime importance in Egyptian, Middle Eastern, and Classical archaeology.

      Most papyrus documents have been found in Egypt, where the papyrus plant was cultivated for the manufacture of writing material and the dry climate favoured preservation. Papyrus documents have been found dating from as early as about 2600 BC (a blank roll of papyrus from about 3000 BC was excavated in a 1st-dynasty tomb), and there are important documents from the Hyksos period to the end of the New Kingdom (c. 1630–1075 BC)—e.g., the Rhind (Rhind papyrus) (mathematical) papyrus, the Edwin Smith (Edwin Smith papyrus) (surgical) papyrus, and the Turin Papyrus (qq.v.), as well as literary compositions—but the majority of them date from Hellenistic and Roman times (4th century BC–6th century AD) and are written either in Egyptian demotic script, Greek, or Latin. Since they began to be collected in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, they have become an important source of information about the ancient Mediterranean world and an invaluable aid to the study of Classical literature and ancient religions. More than 2,500 papyrus copies of Greek and Roman literary works have been discovered; many of these works were previously unknown, and some were known only from references by ancient authors. One of the most spectacular of these discoveries was a manuscript of Aristotle's Constitution of Athens, found by an American missionary in Egypt in 1890. New biblical manuscripts have also come to light, and the papyrus scrolls found in the Dead Sea area since the late 1940s have been an outstanding aid to the study of ancient Judaism and early Christianity.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Papyrology — is the study of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., as preserved in manuscripts written on papyrus, the most common form of writing material in the Egyptian, Greek and Roman worlds. Papyrology entails both the translation… …   Wikipedia

  • papyrology — [pap΄ə räl′ə jē] n. the study and translation of ancient manuscripts written on papyrus papyrologist n …   English World dictionary

  • papyrology — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary Date: 1898 the study of papyrus manuscripts • papyrologist noun …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • papyrology — noun The study of ancient texts written on papyrus See Also: papyrologist …   Wiktionary

  • papyrology — study of paper Sciences and Studies …   Phrontistery dictionary

  • papyrology — pap·y·rol·o·gy …   English syllables

  • papyrology — pap•y•rol•o•gy [[t]ˌpæp əˈrɒl ə dʒi[/t]] n. anh ara the study of papyrus manuscripts • Etymology: 1895–1900 pap y•rol′o•gist, n …   From formal English to slang

  • papyrology — /pæpəˈrɒlədʒi/ (say papuh roluhjee) noun the systematic study of papyri. –papyrologist, noun …  

  • papyrology — n. the study of ancient papyri. Derivatives: papyrological adj. papyrologist n …   Useful english dictionary

  • Oxyrhynchus Papyri — Grenfell (left) and Hunt (right) in about 1896 The Oxyrhynchus Papyri are a very numerous group of manuscripts discovered by archaeologists including Bernard Pyne Grenfell and Arthur Surridge Hunt at an ancient rubbish dump near Oxyrhynchus in… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”