How archaeologists discovered Europe’s oldest known book, revealing never-before-seen insights into ancient religion and philosophy

On January 15, 1962, archaeologists in Greece were excavating the grave of a Macedonian nobleman near Thessaloniki. exposed something incredible. Amid the ashes of a funeral pyre, encased in burnt mud, lay a papyrus scroll – the first found in mainland Greece. Dating of the document and the discovery of its literary character subsequently led to UNESCO to declare it is the oldest book in Europe.

The Derveni papyrusNamed for the location where it was found, it probably dates to between 340 and 320 BC. In the manuscript it copies, probably written towards the end of the fifth century B.C. was written, the author discusses religious practices related to the fate of the soul after death and provides a treatise on a poem attributed to Orpheusthe heroic poet and musician from Greek mythology.

Richard Jankoa classicist at the University of Michigan, has done so called the papyrus ‘the most important new piece of evidence on Greek philosophy and religion to have come to light since the Renaissance.’ But he adds: “It is also the most difficult to understand, and all work on it is inevitably a work in progress.” This is largely due to the fact that the fire that preserved the papyrus – and saved it from the decay usually caused by the dampness of Greek soil – also destroyed it.

“There were pieces that were completely black, and no one could tell if there were any letters on them,” says archaeologist Polyxeni Adam-Veleni, then director of the Archaeological Museum of Thessalonikiwhere the papyrus is located, told the Associated Press in 2006.

When researchers carefully took the scroll apart, they collected approximately 266 fragments. Finally, they divided the fragments into 26 remaining columns textall with their lower halves burned away. A relatively complete version of the text would not be published until almost 50 years later.

Scholars disagree about the work’s potential author, but the mysterious author appears to have been a follower of the philosopher Anaxagoras. The book’s audience appears to be future religious initiates of Orphism, the cult that followed the teachings of Orpheus.

Although many of their practices remain unknown, it is believed that orphics were monotheistic. They abstained from eating meat and focused on purity, which reflected the teachings of Anaxagoras that the soul survives after death and that only the pure will be saved. Orphism’s parallels with Christianity make the papyrus a particularly interesting window into the spiritual practices emerging in the area at the time.

Philosophy of the Orphic Mysteries – The Derveni Papyrus – Myth of Orpheus and ancient Greek science

In addition to the religious insights offered by the papyrus, the author’s interpretation of a now lost Orphic poem reveals information about Greek philosophical thought of the time. In the treatise, the author writes that the poem, which concerns the birth of the gods, should be taken as an allegory rather than literally. The anonymous author’s argument contains references showing how various Greek philosophers understood the physical world.

As technology improves and the manuscript becomes easier to read, scholars continue to debate the contents of the document and how to put the fragments together in the hope of gaining even greater insight into the Hellenic religion and philosophy of the time.

Like Janko writes“The stakes are high in solving the puzzle of this papyrus.”