Fragments and Falsehoods: The Papyrus Trade with Roberta Mazza episode artwork

EPISODE · May 6, 2025 · 42 MIN

Fragments and Falsehoods: The Papyrus Trade with Roberta Mazza

from Peopling the Past · host Chelsea Gardner and Melissa Funke

Forged provenance, forensic investigations, and placing ancient papyri in dish soap! In this episode, scholar Dr. Roberta Mazza shares tales from the black market papyrus trade, taking us from Egypt to Oxford to Waco, Texas. Listen in as we learn how wealthy collectors have influenced the antiquities trade and forced us to rethink our approach to ancient texts and their contexts. And yes, we do talk about THAT Sappho fragment!

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Fragments and Falsehoods: The Papyrus Trade with Roberta Mazza

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This episode is 42 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 6, 2025.

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Forged provenance, forensic investigations, and placing ancient papyri in dish soap! In this episode, scholar Dr. Roberta Mazza shares tales from the black market papyrus trade, taking us from Egypt to Oxford to Waco, Texas. Listen in as we learn...

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