Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 20
Encyclopedia
Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 20 consists of twelve fragments of the second book of the Iliad
, written in Greek
. It was discovered by Grenfell and Hunt in 1897 in Oxyrhynchus
. The fragment is dated to the second century. It is housed in the British Library
(Department of Manuscripts). The text was published by Grenfell and Hunt in 1898.
The manuscript was written on papyrus
in the form of a scroll. The measurements of the largest fragment are 145 by 80 mm. The text is written in a large upright calligraphic uncial hand. On the verso side are some accounts written in cursive script and dated to the late second or early third century. The Homeric text is probably earlier. There are no stops, rough breathings, or accents.
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
, written in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. It was discovered by Grenfell and Hunt in 1897 in Oxyrhynchus
Oxyrhynchus
Oxyrhynchus is a city in Upper Egypt, located about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo, in the governorate of Al Minya. It is also an archaeological site, considered one of the most important ever discovered...
. The fragment is dated to the second century. It is housed in the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
(Department of Manuscripts). The text was published by Grenfell and Hunt in 1898.
The manuscript was written on papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
in the form of a scroll. The measurements of the largest fragment are 145 by 80 mm. The text is written in a large upright calligraphic uncial hand. On the verso side are some accounts written in cursive script and dated to the late second or early third century. The Homeric text is probably earlier. There are no stops, rough breathings, or accents.