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This catalogue accompanies Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt, an exhibition exploring the transformational role of papyrus in Graeco-Roman Egypt. In contrast to the grandeur of pyramids and temples, this exhibition catalogue features the humble papyrus, a media technology that reveals a vibrant, multilingual society navigating radical change. Hosted by the John Rylands Research Institute and Library in collaboration with the Harry Ransom Center, this exhibition highlights how writing extended beyond temples, shaping daily life, law, medicine, and religion.
Featuring unique literary manuscripts, petitions, magical texts, and early Christian writings—including one of the oldest extant copies of the Gospel of John—visitors encounter how literacy influenced culture and identity, and how it facilitated international politics and shaped daily life. The exhibition traces the journey of papyrus from its production and use in education to its repurposing in mummy cartonnage, emphasizing the contingent and fragmentary nature of history. With loans from the Manchester Museum and the Egypt Exploration Society, this catalogue invites readers to rethink ancient Egypt’s legacy and the power of the written word in preserving diverse voices across time.
Jeremy Penner is Senior Curator of African and Near Eastern Manuscripts at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, and Honorary Research Fellow in the Centre for Biblical Studies, University of Manchester
Aaron T. Pratt is the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Curator of Early Books and Manuscripts at the Harry Ransom Center, and Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of English at The University of Texas at Austin
Geoffrey S. Smith is Associate Professor and Fellow of the Louise Farmer Boyer Chair in Biblical Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, and Director of the Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins (ISAC)
Katherine M. Taronas is Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, and Fellow of the W. Cleigh Nease Endowment in the Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins (ISAC)
Introduction: Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt – Jeremy Penner, Aaron T. Pratt, Geoffrey S. Smith, and Katherine M. Taronas
1 Papyri, libraries, and scholars: an intellectual panorama of Graeco-Roman Egypt – Marina Escolano-Poveda
Object spotlight: Papyrus Rylands Greek 63 (P. Ryl. Gr. 63), Plato discusses astrology with the Egyptian prophet Petese – Marina Escolano-Poveda
2 Papyrus production, scribal practices, and education – Giulia Tonon
3 Daily Life in Graeco-Roman Egypt – Colin Adams
Object spotlight: Papyrus Rylands Greek Additional 1057 verso (P. Ryl. Gr. Add. 1057 verso), an enslaved woman’s petition during the Antonine plague – W. Graham Claytor
4 Astronomy and astrology in the papyri – Alexander Jones
5 Religion in Greek and Roman Egypt – Katherine M. Taronas
6 The rise of Christianity in Egypt (1st–7th centuries CE) – Sarah Parkhouse
Object spotlight: Papyrus Rylands Greek 463 (P. Ryl. Gr. 463), the Gospel of Mary – Sarah Parkhouse
Object spotlight: Papyrus Rylands Greek 457 (P. Ryl. Gr. 457), the Gospel of John – Brent Nongbri
Object spotlight: The Willoughby Papyrus – Geoffrey S. Smith
7 Medicine and magic in Greco-Roman and Late Antique Egypt: networks of transmission and knowledge exchange – Isabel Black
8 Expectations for the afterlife – Campbell Price
9 Funerary masks and portraits in Roman Egypt – Louise A. O’Brien
Object spotlight: Manchester Museum 2266 (Figure 9.3), funerary portrait of a woman – Louise A. O’Brien
10 The afterlife of papyri – Geoffrey S. Smith
Object spotlight: An erotic ostracon housed at the Harry Ransom Center – Jordan A. Swanson and Rikki Wenxin Liu
Bibliography