Papyruskunde
Papyruskunde, or papyrology, is the scholarly study of ancient documents written on papyrus. It combines philology, paleography, codicology, and textual criticism to edit, interpret, and date texts that survive on papyrus. The field investigates the material itself—its production, survival, and usage—as well as the social, religious, economic, and literary contexts of the texts.
Papyri originate mainly from Egypt and the Graeco-Roman world and span roughly from the 3rd millennium BCE
Scholars publish critical editions, perform linguistic and paleographic analysis, and study metadata such as provenance and
Papyruskunde is interdisciplinary, linking Egyptology, Classics, linguistics, and archaeology. It helps reconstruct ancient economies, legal systems,
Since the 19th century, papyrology has grown through excavations, museum collections, and scholarly societies. It remains