Papyrus fragment found to be receipt for beer and oil tax

(Patria) - New discoveries by experts from the University of Graz suggest that the production of the first books may have begun hundreds of years earlier than previously thought.

Austrian conservator Theresa Zammit Lupi discovered sewing traces during a routine examination of an Egyptian papyrus, the University of Graz announced. The fragment dates back to the 3rd century BC. This means that the sewing method, an indispensable tool for any bookbinding conservator-restorer, is 400 years older than the oldest known evidence of bound books, which date from 150 to 250 AD and are kept in libraries in London and Dublin.

The papyrus fragment, measuring 15 by 25 centimeters, was found in a necropolis near the present-day Egyptian town of Al-Hibah and was brought to Graz in 1904.

Scientists from the University of Graz claimed that the double leaf from a booklet is actually a receipt for beer and oil tax and was written in Greek.

It was used as part of a mummy wrapping.

During restoration work, Zammit Lupi noticed a piece of thread, a fold in the middle of the fragment, then stitch holes, and clearly defined text edges, indicating that it is a leaf from a codex, not a scroll.

The codex is the oldest form of a book – first a diptych, then a polyptych, two or more wax tablets joined by a leather cord on which one wrote. Later, a book written on parchment or paper began to be called a codex. The first codices appeared in the 1st century and were intended for school use and copying literary works and served for accounting purposes.

"As a conservator, I must say it is an extraordinary feeling when you come across such a discovery and know that you can contribute new information about the history of the origin of books," said the Austrian expert of Maltese origin.

In the autumn, the University of Graz plans to organize an international conference where it will present the new findings and discuss them with colleagues from around the world.