The Derveni Papyrus: A Conversation with Richard Janko

This book is based on an in-depth conversation with 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:
I. A Great Discovery - Followed by unparalleled foot-dragging
II. Derveni Details - Setting the scene
III. An Ancient Culture War - Societal strains in late 5th-century Athens
IV. Rose-coloured Glasses? - Democratic biases
V. Summing Up - Mathematical philology and Herculaneum speculations
The Derveni Papyrus is also part of the five-part Ideas Roadshow Collection, Conversations About History, Volume 2, which is available in hardcover, paperback and electronic format.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations: Presented in an accessible, conversational format, Ideas Roadshow books not only explore frontline academic research but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research.