The return of the ancient papyrus: the discovery and fate of the ancient Greek papyrus from Mangalia (Romania)

Abstract

On the west coast of the Black sea excavations of ancient cities have been conducted for more than a century and a half. Among them, a special place is considered to be the Dorian colony of Kallatis, founded by immigrants from Heraclea of Pontius, most likely in the VI century BC. Currently on its territory there is a Romanian city of Mangalia. In 1959, during the excavations of the ancient mound on the Hellenistic burial ground, an ungraded burial in a stone sarcophagus was discovered. It was a backbone of an adult with a gilded bronze wreath. Near his hands there was an ancient Greek papyrus. For his conservation a Soviet restorer M. Alexander was invited, he managed to preserve the rarity. At the request of the Romanian side, he took the papyrus for restoration to Moscow, where his traces were lost. In 2001, Romanian archaeologists began searching for the papyrus. After three years of work in museums and libraries, they were able to locate the rest of the scroll. It turned out that they are stored in the Center of restoration Grabar in Moscow. As a result of the negotiations, thanks to the good will of the Russian side, it was possible to reach an agreement on the return of a unique discovery for Romania to its historical homeland.