The Derveni Papyrus: Europe’s Oldest Book and its Reflection on Universal Human Values

The Executive Board of UNESCO, on April 14^th, unanimously decided to approve the designation of February 9^th as “World Greek Language Day”. The official proclamation will take place during the 43^rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, in November 2025. The decision of the Executive Board recognizes the universality and the global contribution of the Greek language to the cultural heritage of humanity. It underlines, among other things, the unbroken continuity of 40 centuries of oral tradition and 35 centuries of written tradition of the Greek language, its influence on all other European languages, as well as the fact that it remains to this day an inexhaustible source of international scientific terminology. On this occasion, GNA presents two elements connected to the written Greek language that were inscribed on the UNESCO “Memory of the World” International Register in 2023 and 2015, respectively, “The Lead Tablets of the Dodona Oracle” (Part 1) and “The Derveni Papyrus: The oldest book of Europe” (Part 2).

The Derveni Papyrus, the oldest surviving book in Europe, is one of the most treasured exhibits of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. It is also among the rarest finds in Greece, as the country’s climate is not conducive to the preservation of papyri. The papyrus, which survived only because it was charred, was found in 1962 inside cist grave A of the Derveni cemetery, amid the remains of the funeral pyre. Archaeologists Petros Themelis and Maria Siganidou recovered the upper parts of the charred papyrus scroll and fragments from ashes atop the tomb’s slabs; the lower parts had burned away in the funeral pyre. (cover photo © Orestis Kourakis)

The papyrus script dates between 340 and 320 BC, although the original work it copies is in fact quite older – dating approximately around 420-410 BC. The text is written in columns, 26 of which have been restored, and is divided into two parts. It features a mix of ancient Greek dialects, primarily a blend of Attic and Ionic, with occasional Doric forms. In some cases, the same word appears in different dialectal variations.

In 1962, Anton Fackelmann, curator of the papyrus collection of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna and the world’s leading expert in the handling of carbonized papyri, was invited to the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki to try to make the almost charred scroll of Derveni papyrus suitable for reading. By spraying the papyrus with plant sap and placing the fragments under a heat lamp, he managed to save 266 fragments (left) (Source: Kathimerini newspaper), Exhibition of the Derveni Papyrus fragments at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (right)

The book contains the eschatological teaching of a mantis (a religious prophet). The content is divided between religious instructions on sacrifices to gods and souls, and allegorical commentary on a theogonical poem ascribed to Orpheus (probably an Orphic hymn that accompanied the ceremonies of the mystics, as the book was initially intended for them). The author’s outlook is philosophical, displaying, in particular, a physical system close to those of Anaxagoras, the Atomists, and Diogenes of Apollonia. His allegorical method of interpretation is especially interesting, frequently reminiscent of Socrates’ playful mental and etymological acrobatics as seen in Plato’s Cratylus.

The identification of the author is a matter of dispute among scholars, most probably being Euthyphro(n) of Prospalta, a community in Attica. The debate between Euthyphron and Socrates influenced generations of theologians and gave rise to the question of the relationship between God and morality known as the Euthyphro dilemma: “Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?”. Diagoras of Melos, and Stesimbrotus of Thasos have also been proposed, though with varying degrees of likelihood. (Source: The Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, wikipedia.org)

Fragments of the Derveni Papyrus, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

The Derveni papyrus is registered in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register and noted as the oldest known European book. According to UNESCO, the Derveni Papyrus is of immense importance not only for the study of Greek religion and philosophy, which is the basis for the western philosophical thought, but also because it serves as a proof of the early dating of the Orphic poems offering a distinctive version of Pre-Socratic philosophers. The text of the Papyrus, which is the first book of western tradition, has a global significance, since it reflects universal human values: the need to explain the world, the desire to belong to a human society with known rules and the agony to confront the end of life (Source: UNESCO)

Over the last 45 years the text of the Derveni Papyrus has undergone extensive reconstruction and study. Theokritos Kouremenos, George M. Parássoglou, and Kyriakos Tsantsanoglou have been among the leaders of this effort, publishing an authoritative text of the papyrus along with extensive commentary in 2006. (Source: The Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University)

Derveni, January 15, 1962: during the widening of the Thessaloniki-Kavala highway, a mechanical excavator struck the walls of a cist tomb, “suffocatingly full” with valuable grave goods, as the late Petros Themelis, excavator of the site, describes in his publication. A total of six tombs -including pit graves, cist tombs, and one built of Macedonian type – were discovered in 1962 in the region around Derveni, 10 km NW of Thessaloniki. Some of them were found unlooted. They contained male and female cremations and burials with rich offerings, dated to the last quarter of the 4^th century BC. The most precious findings can be seen in the permanent exhibition “The Gold of Macedon” at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.

The Derveni Tomb A – a cist tomb – contained a bronze crater with the ashes of the dead, a gold wreath, several bronze vases, iron spearheads. The Derveni Papyrus was found burnt in the thick layer of ashes which was brought here from the cremation pyre and covered the slabs of the tomb. (Source: odysseus.gr)

Derveni Tomb A (upper left), Fragments of the Derveni Papyrus (upper right), Bronze vessel, perforated for the dispersal of light from the lamp placed within (lower left), Bronze vessels from Tomb A (© Orestis Kourakis) (lower right), Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

The Derveni Tomb B is the most significant in size and rich in offerings cist tomb, which was constructed in order to accept the ashes of a man and a young woman. For this, the Derveni Crater with dionysian scenes, unique in the history of art, was used. In the tomb twenty silver vases have also been found together with many bronze and alabaster vases, pottery, iron weapons and fragments of a leather corselet. Other finds include a pair of bronze greaves and a gold triobol of Philip II. (Source: odysseus.gr)

Derveni Tomb B (upper left), a silver vessel (askos), upper right), Gilded bronze scales , reconstructed erroneously as a gorget, the Derveni Krater (lower right), findings from Derveni Tomb B, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

The Derveni Krater (details). The renowned volute krater of Derveni, a unique masterpiece of metalworking of the 4^th c. BC, was most probably manufactured in a Macedonian workshop, by an artist acquainted with Attic art styles. An inscription with silver letters along the rim offers us the owner’s name: it belonged to Astion, son of Anaxagoras, who originated from the city of Larissa. Its golden colour is due to the large content of tin in the copper alloy. It contained the remains of a cremation, with a gold coin of Philip II, a gold ring, two gold pins and a bronze, gilded wreath. The mouth of the krater was covered by a bronze strainer-like lid, which was used to strain wine. A gold myrtle wreath was placed on top of the vessel. The main figures on the relief decoration that adorns the body are Dionysos and Ariadne, in a sacred wedding scene. A group of maenads surrounds the couple, dancing ecstatically (lower right). Four statuettes rest on the shoulders: Young Dionysos and a maenad on one side, a sleepy Silen with a flask in his hand and an ecstatic maenad on the other (upper and lower left). (Source: Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Photos: commons.wikimedia.org).

The gold myrtle wreath, Derveni, Tomb Δ, 350-325 BC, permanent exhibition “The Gold of Macedon” at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (left), a solid gold finger ring bearing on its bezel the dedicatory inscription “ΚΛΕΙΤΑΙΔΩΡΟΝ” (a gift for Kleita), 2.1 x 1.8 cm, Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. It was discovered in Derveni Tomb Z, the smallest in size (1.10 x 0.86 m) and the simplest in shape (the only pit grave) of the seven rich tombs at Derveni. Kleita, most probably the deceased of “Tomb Z”, may have been of Thessalian origin, since this female name was common in Pelasgiotis (Larissa) in Thessaly (right).

The Tomb of Makridi Bey at Derveni, also known as the Tomb of Langadas, is an ancient Macedonian tomb of the Classical or early Hellenistic period (late 4^th or early 3^rd century BC). It is located at the site of ancient Lete – one of the major cities of the ancient Kingdom of Macedonia – in modern Derveni, between Thessaloniki and the city of Langadas. The tomb, which had already been looted in antiquity, was excavated by the Greek Ottoman-era archaeologist Theodore Makridi in 1910, two years before the liberation of Thessaloniki. It is a double-chambered, barrel-vaulted tomb with a monumental facade in the Ionic rhythm and a marble sarcophagus in the burial chamber. The original marble door that once sealed its entrance is on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. An extensive restoration project was undertaken between 2012 and 2015, making it accessible to visitors. Watch the video (Source, Wikipedia, Kathimerini Newspaper)