Papyrus Collection

Papyrus Collection

The Papyrus Collection of the University of Freiburg, part of the Historical Collections of the University Library, consists of numerous papyrus fragments written in Hieratic, Demotic, Coptic, Arabic, and Greek scripts. These 147 glass plates preserve texts dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. The collection was acquired between 1909 and 1914 as part of the University Library’s membership in the German Papyrus Cartel.

The papyrus collection is frequently incorporated into classes, allowing students to develop skills in reading and analysing ancient texts. However, it also serves as a valuable resource for researchers. More details on the collection’s history, holdings, and accessibility can be found on the University Library’s website.

Connecting – Editing – Programming – Learning (CEPL)

CEPL: Sowing the Seeds for Joint Teaching and Research in Digital Papyrology, Philology and Ancient History in the European Campus

From August 2019 to July 2020, the CEPL project, led by Prof. Dr. Sitta von Reden and Prof. Dr. Peter Eich, was carried out in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg (Prof. Dr. Paul Heilporn) and the University of Basel (Prof. Dr. Sabine Huebner). The project aimed to develop new research perspectives and introduced students to reading, editing, and digitally publishing original papyri. Supported by ‘Eucor – The European Campus,’ the initiative fostered cross-border cooperation in papyrology, history, and manuscript digitisation. A tri-national class on ancient papyri was established, enabling students to edit original papyrus texts from the University Library of Freiburg. The results were published as two papers in 2024, laying the foundation for future student training and research on Freiburg’s papyrus collection.

Connecting – Editing – Programming – Learning (CEPL)

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