Eureka! Extraordinary discovery unlocks secrets of the ancients
By David Keys and Nicholas Pyke
17 April 2005Thousands of previously illegible manuscripts containing work by some of the greats of classical literature are being read for the first time using technology which experts believe will unlock the secrets of the ancient world.
Among treasures already discovered by a team from Oxford University are previously unseen writings by classical giants including Sophocles, Euripides and Hesiod. Invisible under ordinary light, the faded ink comes clearly into view when placed under infra-red light, using techniques developed from satellite imaging.
The Oxford documents form part of the great papyrus hoard salvaged from an ancient rubbish dump in the Graeco-Egyptian town of Oxyrhynchus more than a century ago. The thousands of remaining documents, which will be analysed over the next decade, are expected to include works by Ovid and Aeschylus, plus a series of Christian gospels which have been lost for up to 2,000 years.
These kind of stories fascinate me. In my undergraduate, my major (Youth and Family Ministry) required me to take 3 semesters of Koine Greek. I loved it. I wasn’t the best student (I took 5 semesters) but I made strides everyday. The language added such a depth of knowledge and reality to scripture that I find myself constantly reaching for my USB4. I still love it. It will be amazing what these text might reveal about ancient culture and daily life. It will also help CBS advertise its new fall line-up of CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and the all new CSI: Mesopatamia.