The project of the papyri of Jena

The papyrus collection of the Institute of Ancient Studies at the University of Jena possesses more than 2000 papyri and ostraca and thus belongs to the larger papyrus collections in Germany. Besides few but important literary texts (e.g. the famous Irenaeus-Papyrus ) the major part of the collection is of documentary nature, (e.g. letters, administrative and legal documents, business documents receipts etc.). They date from early Ptolemaic times (3rd century BC) to the time after the Arab conquest of Egypt (7th century AD) and are written in ancient Greek, Demotic, Coptic, Arabic and Latin. The major part comes from the 3rd and 2nd century BC and was written in Greek and Demotic.

The papyrus collection in Jena was founded before World War I. Most of the papyri and especially the mummy cartonnage came from the Deutsches Papyruskartell and were purchased between 1904 and 1913. Small private collections completed the collection later, of which the collection of the papyrologist Friedrich Zucker is especially noteworthy.

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Contributors

Contact

  • Prof. Dr. Rainer Thiel (since April 2005)
  • Institut für Altertumswissenschaften, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
  • r.thiel@uni-jena.de

The Papyrus Project Halle-Jena-Leipzig

During the joint project with Halle and Leipzig, which was generously funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, following persons participated in restoration, cataloguing and digitization:

Applicant

  • Prof. Dr. Jürgen Hammerstaedt (2003 to 2005)
  • Institut für Altertumswissenschaften, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena
  • now Institut für Altertumskunde - Klassische Philologie, University of Cologne

  • Prof. Dr. Rainer Thiel (since April 2005)
  • Institut für Altertumswissenschaften, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
  • r.thiel@uni-jena.de

Responsible for the scientific treatment

  • Rodney Ast
  • Research Assistant (DFG, to January 2005)
  • Institut für Altertumswissenschaften, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Papyrus Collection

  • Marius Gerhardt, M. A.
  • Research Assistant (DFG)
  • Institut für Altertumswissenschaften der Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
  • Papyrus Collection with discontinuity from 2005 to 2009
  • marius.gerhardt@web.de

Restoration

  • Birgit Lipka
  • technical employee
  • Institut für Altertumswissenschaften, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

Digitization

  • Anita Welzel, M. A.
  • technical Assistant (DFG, 2003 to 2007)
  • Institut für Altertumswissenschaften, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

  • Axel Karsten
  • Responsible for scanning and filming
  • Thüringer Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Jena