The Derveni Papyrus

This book is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and Richard Janko, Gerald F. Else Distinguished University Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan. This wide-ranging conversation covers Prof. Janko’s research on the Derveni Papyrus, Europe’s oldest surviving manuscript from the 4th century BCE and the most important text relating to early Greek literature, science, religion and philosophy to have come to light since the Renaissance. 


This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, Discovering the Past, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:

1. I. A Great Discovery - Followed by unparalleled foot-dragging

2. II. Derveni Details - Setting the scene

3. III. An Ancient Culture War - Societal strains in the late 5th-century Athens

4. IV. Rose-coloured Glasses? - Democratic biases

5. V. Summing Up - Mathematical philology and Herculaneum speculations


About Ideas Roadshow Conversations Series: 


This book is part of an expanding series of 100+ Ideas Roadshow conversations, each one presenting a wealth of candid insights from a leading expert through a focused yet informal setting to give non-specialists a uniquely accessible window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be encountered through standard lectures and textbooks. For other books in this series visit our website: https://ideas-on-film.com/ideasroadshow/.