Discovery part of the 'oldest-known book in the world'

Maltese Theresa Zammit Lupi at the University of Graz, Austria Art, Education, Symbols and Signs, default

Maltese Theresa Zammit Lupi with a Phd in the conservation of manuscripts from London, has made a cutting-edge discovery while working at the Special Collections of the University Library at the University of Graz, Austria.

The discovery was made during her work while she was inspecting a fragment originally found in 1902 in El Hibba, Egypt. Theresa Zammit Lupi’s has discovered that codices of papyrus, with bindings running through the centrefold, existed as far back as 260 BC. Dating back to times pre Christ, this could be the oldest book in the world. The fragment was first part of a notebook, and includes legible Greek text describing beer and oil taxes. It was later recycled as wrapping for a mummy.

Oldest known papyrus book 250 BC

While this is a preliminary dating, the oldest book is a great archaeological, and historical evidence found to be some 400 years older than what was previously thought to be the earliest sample with evidence of stitching in book form.

 

History of Writing / Book / Materials

Around 4000 BC, the Sumerians, had a writing system we now call cuneiform, carving signs into clay tablets. 

A big leap forward in time the earliest archaeological evidence dates to 2400 BC and originates in Egypt, the use of papyrus scrolls. The papyrus plant, extracted from the stem, pressed, dried resulting in a sheet on which you could write with a sharp quill & colour.

The Linear A & B script developed from Cretan hieroglyphic script around 1635 to 1450 BC. Both scripts have not yet been deciphered, and it is still unclear what language they represent.

The earliest writings in China were found on ox scapulae, and tortoiseshells, during the Shang dynasty, dated from around 1400 - 1200 BC called "oracle bones" recorded divination.  On bronzes, inscriptions were cast on sacrificial vessels, or ritual bells from a few to five hundred characters.

The brush pen was used as early as the 700 BC, archaeological evidence shows paper was invented around 100 BC. 

Recently, the oldest known fragments of the Odyssey on papyri were found in the sarcophagi of mummified Greek Egyptians written around 250 BC.

Homer Odyssey image of the manuscript 250 BC

Phoenician alphabet 1500 BC

600 BC the Chinese invented the first printing press using blocks of wood, with characters carved into them, pressed onto a sheet of paper. One of the first texts printed we know of is the Diamond Sutra, 868 AC, a 5 metre long scroll. 

The Derveni papyrus, 340 BC, from a grave in the Ancient Greek province of Macedonia, is a commentary on an Orphic poem. A stylus made from wood, metal, gold was used to engrave the tablets, were joined together at one edge with a piece of string to create an early predecessor to the bound book.

Originally it was believed that the Christian community transcribed prayers onto codices. Codices looked like books with sheets of papyrus and a protective wooden cover on either side.