There to Be
Discovered
Ninety–five percent of The Bancroft
Library's papyrus collection is still uncatalogued and unpublished.
More than 20,000 fragments are temporarily stored in acid–free folders
in the vault; in addition, an unknown number of fragments still lie in
the original tin boxes from the Hearst Expedition.
In the course of the past decades, a handful
of scholars, with various fields of interest, have made quick surveys
of this unprocessed material. Although they were only superficial,
these glimpses have shown that there are more important discoveries to
be made. We do not know what will emerge from the folders and boxes
when the funding can be found to go through them in a thorough and
systematic manner. Some of the recent discoveries–all still
unpublished–are displayed here.
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