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Greek Papyri

JOHN DAY
 

V If ^HE Columbia Libraries contain one of the most extensive
holdings of Greek papyri in the Western Hemisphere.
Consisting of some 700 items, it is second only—but
second by a wide margin—to the great collection at the University
of Michigan. The notable collections in Europe, which are much
larger than those in America, were acquired through purchase
and through excavations before the First World War. In the
United States, at that time, only the University of Chicago began
to purchase papyri, but soon gave up the attempt to form a col¬
lection. Only after the First World War, in the decade of the
Twenties, did American institutions begin to assemble them—
mainly through purchase from dealers, although the University of
Michigan acquired a large number of important papyri through
excavation at Karanis.

Columbia's papyri are mainly of the documentary type, owing
to the special interest in social and economic history of Professor
Westermann (under whose leadership the holdings were assem¬
bled). But the Collection contains some literary pieces and
Columbia papyri have made their contribution to the emendation
of the texts of Homer and Euripides. Also of particular note are
the numerous letters from the famous Zcnon Archive. Through
the publication of its papyri in Columbia Papyri, Greek Series
(now consisting of five volumes, with the sixth in preparation),
and in the volume entitled Apokrimata (in the Columbia Bicen¬
tennial Editions and Studies), along with numerous articles in
learned journals, the Collection has attained a notable interna¬
tional reputation. But it is not merely an instrument of research:
it is also a very important teaching collection. Here the student
learns at first hand the details of the evolution of the book, the

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