Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library papyrus collection, 300 BC-500 AD, circa 1923-1996

Creator:

Westermann, William Linn, 1873-1954, Schiller, A. Arthur, 1902-1977, Day, John, 1902-, Bagnall, Roger S., and Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Extent:

500 Linear Feet (Series I: Circa 2150 papyri. Series II-IV: 10 bound volumes, 4 ms boxes (boxes 319-321, 323), 1 tall ms box (box 318), 5 flat boxes (boxes 322, 324, 325, 327, 328), one tube box (box 326))

Language:

Greek, Ancient (to 1453), Arabic, Greek, Modern (1453-), Latin, Coptic, English

Bibliography:

There are eleven published volumes of Columbia Papyri, which can be found by searching "Columbia Papyri" in the title field in CLIO.

Scope and content:

The Columbia collection includes ca. 2150 papyri in a variety of languages including Greek, Latin, Egyptian (Demotic, Coptic and Hieratic) and Arabic. Among the papyri, there are also a few texts on parchment and paper. The papyri range in date from the 3rd century BCE to the 7th century CE and come from different parts of Egypt. About 300 have been published in the volumes of Columbia Papyri (P.Col., volumes I-XI) and a few more were published elsewhere. The papyri preserve a variety of texts, from ancient fragments of important literary works (Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Euripides' Orestes, Plato's Phaedrus) written much earlier than the medieval manuscripts upon which modern editions are usually based, to mundane documents such as private letters, tax receipts, petitions and contracts, which illustrate the economic activities, personal relationships, legal conflicts and contractual arrangements of people in Greco-Roman Egypt over a period of about 1000 years.

The collection also includes library and other records about the acquisition and stewardship of the collection.

Biographical / historical:

William L. Westermann (1873 -1954) was named honorary curator of papyri in 1925, working with Clinton Keyes (1888-1943) of the Classics Department, and was succeeded by John Day (Classics, 1902-1961). J. Frank Gilliam (1915-1990) was in the Classics Department from 1962-65, but served as curator 1970 – 1981. A. Arthur Schiller (1902-1977) of the Law School was a Copticist and worked mostly on the Columbia ostraca, but also acquired and worked on papyri. Roger Bagnall (b. 1947) had a joint appointment to History and Classics in 1974, taught papyrology, and was the honorary curator from 1981 to 2007, succeeded by Raffaella Cribiore (1948-2023) to 2008, and Rodney Ast (b. 1972) to 2009. In 2011 David Ratzan became honorary curator, and still advises on the collection, though he has been at NYU since 2014.

The Westermann material (mostly in Greek) was always housed with the Libraries, first in Low Library, then moved to rooms on the fourth floor of Butler Library in 1934. Other papyri (mostly Coptic or Arabic) followed their own trajectories, mostly ending up in the library's care by the 1960s. Oversight of the collection was transferred to the Rare Book and Manuscript Library in 1955, and the collection itself moved within RBML stack space in 1956.

Catalog record:

View in CLIO

Local call number:

MS#0971

Processing information:

Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 08/--/89.

Larger pieces of papyri were glassed in 1930. The papyri were photostated, as a cataloging stopgap, in the 1940s. A card file of Greek material was made later by the faculty curators. Lawrence I. Feinberg (MA, 1967) reglassed the papyri in 1968-72 in heavy safety glass with taped edges. He also accessioned groups of papyri acquired outside the Westermann purchases.

The APIS project in the 1990s made scholarly catalog records for the papyri and ostraca and shared them online for the first time. Much of the cataloging of the Columbia material was done by Raffaella Cribiore, with Rosalie Cook, Todd Hickey, Petra Sijpesteijn, and student assistance. The collection was rehoused in connection with the cataloging project. The heavy airplane glass was replaced with lighter glass, held together with binder clips; the unglassed papyri were put into new acid-free paper enclosures. Most of the glassed papyri and a portion of the ostraca were imaged by the Columbia University Libraries and added to the online record. These records are now accessible through www.papyri.info

In conjunction with the creation of this finding aid, part of series I, and series II, III, and IV were rehoused and organized. Some material was given P. Col. inv. numbers and added to series I.

Custodial history:

Most of the papyri (P. Col. Inv. 1 – 553) were purchased between 1923 and 1932 for Westermann; these purchases are the best documented. They were housed in the library from their time of purchase. Other papyri, in Greek, Coptic, and Arabic, were acquired between 1901 and 2001, mostly by or for various faculty (Gottheil, Jeffery, and Schiller: see Scope and Contents Note for details). There were a few small gifts over the years as well, starting with a gift of 16 papyri in 1901 from the Egyptian Exploration Fund of London.

Related material:

RBML holds the papers of many Columbia professors who helped obtain and manage the papyri and ostraca collections. These include the William Linn Westermann papers, the John Day papers, the A. Arthur Schiller papers, and the Roger Bagnall papers.

The Columbia University Ostrakon Collection is related by content and provenance.

RBML also holds the records on the development and administration of the Advanced Papyrological Information System.

The Burke Library at the Union Theological Seminary holds the Greek papyri from Egypt fragments collection.

Other finding aids:

The majority of the collection is represented in https://papyri.info/.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Preferred citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library papyrus collection; Item Number or Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Access and use

Restrictions:: This collection is located on-site.
Terms of access:: Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Location of this collection:: Rare Book & Manuscript Library

RBML Home Page
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:: Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.

Contact:: rbml@library.columbia.edu

Collection