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What is a ‘papyrus’?

A ‘papyrus’ is the name given to a fragment (in some cases, several fragments) of a papyrus roll. It is often said that the papyrus roll was the ‘book’ of antiquity, but a lengthy work would have needed several papyrus rolls to contain it and thus would have spanned several ‘books.’

A papyrus, being a fragment of a papyrus roll, contains only a fragment of the text contained in the whole roll. It is generally assumed that a fragment of, for example, Book 2 of Strabo's Geography comes from a roll which in its entirety contained the whole of Book 2. There are, however, other possibilities: the roll as a whole may have contained selections from various parts of Strabo’s work; or the text of the papyrus may have formed part of a quotation in the text occupying the whole roll.

The following fragments are the papyri of Strabo so far known. They were copied out ca AD 100-300.

Papyri of Strabo’s Geography

P. Köln 8, in B. Krebber and R. Hübner, eds, Kölner Papyri [Papyrologica Coloniensia 7]

1 (1976) 27-32. One papyrus fragment containing text from the end (absent in the manuscripts) of Book 7 of the Geography. Hence, P. Köln 8 provides new ‘fragments’ of the lost part of the Geography (7 fr. 11a, 12a, Radt). See also:

- Krebber, B. ‘Naustologoi bei Strabon: ein neues Papyrusfragment (P. Colon. inv. nr. 5861).’ Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 9 (1972) 204-221 and Plate 6b.
- Krebber, B. ‘Corrigenda.’ Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 10 (1973) 188.
- Merkelbach, R. ‘Methone - Methana.’ Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigaphik 10 (1973) 194-196.

P. Oxyrhynchus 3447, in A. Bülow-Jacobsen and J.E.G. Whitehorn, eds, Oxyrhynchus

Papyri 49 (1982) 47-73, and Plate 4. Numerous fragments containing text from Geography 9.1.14 - 9.5.22, C395-443. Edited by Whitehorn.

P. Laur. III 294 A, in Eirene 32 (1996) 96. Contains 124, 17-20. Edited by R. Pintaudi.
P. Oxyrhynchus 4459 in M.W. Haslam and others, eds, Oxyrhynchus Papyri 65 (1998) 71-75,

and Plate 10. Two fragments, containing text from Geography 2.5.20-24, C123-125. Edited by D. Hughes.

A papyrus of Strabo's History?

P. Vogliano 46, ed. G. Pugliese Caratelli, in Papiri della Universita degli Studi di Milano 2

(1961). Fragment containing short piece of text. For earlier publication, see:

- Vogliano, Achille, Un papiro storico greco della Raccolta Milanese e le campagne dei Romani in Etiopia (Milan 1940).
- Turner, E.G., ‘Papyrus 40 ‘Della Raccolta Milanese’,’ Journal of Roman Studies 40 (1950) 57-59.
- Stroux, Johannes, ‘Das historische Fragment des Papyrus 40 der mailänder Sammlung,’ in Sitzungsberichte der deutschen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. Klasse für Sprachen, Literatur und Kunst 1952.2 (Berlin 1953).
Assigned to Strabo’s lost History by Giacomo Manganaro, ‘Il Pap. Vogl. 46 (40) di Milano

e la battaglia di Pselchis,’ Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica 18 (1974) 157-71.
Translated into Italian, with commentary, by D. Ambaglio (1990) 405 and 416.