DERVENI PAPYRUS Meaning and
Definition
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The Derveni Papyrus refers to an ancient Greek manuscript that was discovered in Derveni, near Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1962. It is a remarkable philosophical text believed to date back to the 4th century BCE, making it one of the oldest surviving Greek papyri.
The Derveni Papyrus consists of a 15-foot-long roll of papyrus, written on both sides, and is highly fragmented. It contains a commentary on a poem attributed to Orpheus, a legendary figure in ancient Greek mythology. The poem itself is a theogony, describing the origin of the world and the gods, and their relationship to human existence.
The papyrus provides a valuable insight into the ancient Greek religious and philosophical beliefs. It discusses topics such as the soul and its fate after death, the nature of the divine, and the role of sacrifices and religious rituals. It also reflects the influence of various philosophical schools of thought, such as Orphism, Pythagoreanism, and Presocratic philosophy.
The Derveni Papyrus is of exceptional historical and cultural significance. It sheds light on the philosophical ideas and literary traditions of ancient Greece, bridging the gap between myth and philosophy. Its discovery and subsequent study have greatly contributed to our understanding of ancient Greek thought and continue to be a subject of scholarly interpretation and analysis.
Etymology of DERVENI PAPYRUS
The word "Derveni" comes from the name of the village in northern Greece where the papyrus was discovered in 1962. The village of Derveni is located near Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece.
The term "papyrus" refers to the material on which the text is written. Papyrus is a type of paper-like material made from the pith of the papyrus plant, which was commonly used in ancient Egypt and Greece for writing purposes.
