The Derveni papyrus is an Ancient Greek papyrus roll that was discovered in 1962 at the archaeological site of Derveni , near Thessaloniki , in Central Macedonia . A philosophical treatise, the text is an allegorical commentary on an Orphic poem, a theogony concerning the birth of the gods, produced in the circle of the philosopher Anaxagoras . The roll dates to around 340 BC, during the reign of Philip II of Macedon , making it Europe's oldest surviving manuscript . The poem itself was originally composed near the end of the 5th century BC, and "in the fields of Greek religion , the sophistic movement , early philosophy , and the origins of literary criticism it is unquestionably the most important textual discovery of the 20th century." While interim editions and translations were published over the subsequent years, the manuscript in its entirety was first published in 2006.
46-730: The roll was found on 15 January 1962 at a site in Derveni , Macedonia , northern Greece , on the road from Thessaloniki to Kavala . The site is a nobleman's grave in a necropolis that was part of a rich cemetery belonging to the ancient city of Lete . It is the oldest surviving manuscript in the Western tradition, the only known ancient papyrus found in Greece proper, and possibly the oldest surviving papyrus written in Greek regardless of provenance. The archaeologists Petros Themelis and Maria Siganidou recovered
92-599: A Doric state ( Doris ) in central Greece, north of the Gulf of Corinth , led to the theory that Doric had originated in northwest Greece or maybe beyond in the Balkans . The dialect's distribution towards the north extends to the Megarian colony of Byzantium and the Corinthian colonies of Potidaea , Epidamnos , Apollonia and Ambracia ; there, it further added words to what would become
138-417: A better approach to the edition of a difficult text. However, results of this initiative were not published or made available to other scholars. The papyrus was finally published by a team of researchers from Thessaloniki (Tsantsanoglou et al., below), and they provided a complete text of the papyrus based on an analysis of the fragments, with photographs and translation. Subsequent progress was made in reading
184-408: A leading part in the re-civilizing of Greece after the centuries of disorder and isolation following the collapse of Mycenaean Greece. The Northwest Doric (or "Northwest Greek", with "Northwest Doric" now considered more accurate so as not to distance the group from Doric proper) group is closely related to Doric proper. Whether it is to be considered a part of the southern Doric Group or the latter
230-589: A legal, political and religious content exists from at least the sixth century BC. Corinthian was spoken first in the isthmus region between the Peloponnesus and mainland Greece ; that is, the Isthmus of Corinth . The cities and states of the Corinthian dialect region were Corinth , Sicyon , Archaies Kleones , Phlius , the colonies of Corinth in western Greece: Corcyra , Leucas , Anactorium , Ambracia and others,
276-456: A northern Greek dialect" with numerous adherents from the 19th century and on (Fick 1874; Hoffmann 1906; Hatzidakis 1897 etc.; Kalleris 1964 and 1976). Masson himself argues with the largely Greek character of the Macedonian onomastics and sees Macedonian as "a Greek dialect, characterised by its marginal position and by local pronunciations" and probably most closely related to the dialects of
322-446: A part of it or the two considered subgroups of West Greek, the dialects and their grouping remain the same. West Thessalian and Boeotian had come under a strong Northwest Doric influence. While Northwest Doric is generally seen as a dialectal group, dissenting views exist, such as that of Méndez-Dosuna, who argues that Northwest Doric is not a proper dialectal group but rather merely a case of areal dialectal convergence. Throughout
368-419: A quotation of the philosopher Parmenides . The text of the papyrus contains a mix of Ancient Greek dialects . It is written mainly in a mixture of Attic and Ionic Greek; however it also contains a few Doric forms. In some instances, the same word appears in different dialectal forms throughout the text, such as cμικρό- and μικρό ; ὄντα and ἐόντα ; νιν for μιν etc. The full surviving text
414-566: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Doric Greek Doric or Dorian ( Ancient Greek : Δωρισμός , romanized : Dōrismós ), also known as West Greek , was a group of Ancient Greek dialects ; its varieties are divided into the Doric proper and Northwest Doric subgroups. Doric was spoken in a vast area, including northern Greece ( Acarnania , Aetolia , Epirus , western and eastern Locris , Phocis , Doris , and possibly ancient Macedonia ), most of
460-533: Is a commentary on a hexameter poem ascribed to Orpheus , which was used in the mystery cult of Dionysus by the 'Orphic initiators'. Fragments of the poem are quoted, followed by interpretations by the main author of the text, who tries to show that the poem does not mean what it literally says. The poem begins with the words "Close the doors, you uninitiated", a famous admonition to secrecy, also quoted by Plato . The interpreter claims that this shows that Orpheus wrote his poem as an allegory. The theogony described in
506-479: Is located where a necropolis was discovered, part of a cemetery of the ancient city of Lete . Valuable artifacts were uncovered at this site, including the Derveni papyrus and Derveni krater . 40°43′13″N 22°58′17.2″E / 40.72028°N 22.971444°E / 40.72028; 22.971444 This article about a location in ancient Macedonia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Central Macedonia location article
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#1732844197130552-521: Is misnamed: all of Doric was spoken south of "Southern Greek" or "Southeastern Greek." Be that as it may, "Northern Greek" is based on a presumption that Dorians came from the north and on the fact that Doric is closely related to Northwest Greek . When the distinction began is not known. All the "northerners" might have spoken one dialect at the time of the Dorian invasion; certainly, Doric could only have further differentiated into its classical dialects when
598-599: 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 Presocratic philosophers . The text of
644-553: Is still spoken in Greece today; though critically endangered, with only a few hundred – mostly elderly – fluent speakers left. It is widely accepted that Doric originated in the mountains of Epirus in northwestern Greece , the original seat of the Dorians . It expanded to all other regions during the Dorian invasion ( c. 1150 BC ) and the colonisations that followed. The presence of
690-442: Is strange and riddling to people, though [Orpheus] did not intend to tell contentious riddles but rather great things in riddles. In fact he is speaking mystically, and from the very first word all the way to the last. As he also makes clear in the well recognized verse: for, having ordered them to "put doors to their ears," he says that he is not legislating for the many [but addressing himself to those] who are pure in hearing … and in
736-597: The Albanian language , probably via traders from a now-extinct "Adriatic Illyrian " intermediary. In the north, local epigraphical evidence includes the decrees of the Epirote League , the Pella curse tablet , three additional lesser known Macedonian inscriptions (all of them identifiable as Doric), numerous inscriptions from a number of Greek colonies. Furthermore, there is an abundance of place names used to examine features of
782-668: The Peloponnese (Achaea, Elis, Messenia, Laconia, Argolid, Aegina, Corinth, and Megara), the southern Aegean ( Kythira , Milos , Thera , Crete , Karpathos , and Rhodes ), as well as the colonies of some of those regions in Cyrene , Magna Graecia , the Black Sea , the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea . It was also spoken in the Greek sanctuaries of Dodona , Delphi , and Olympia , as well as at
828-508: The Dorians were in place in the south. Thus West Greek is the most accurate name for the classical dialects. Tsakonian , a descendant of Laconian Doric (Spartan), is still spoken on the southern Argolid coast of the Peloponnese, in the modern prefectures of Arcadia and Laconia . Today it is a source of considerable interest to linguists, and an endangered dialect. Laconian was spoken by
874-558: The Greek North-West (Locrian, Aetolian, Phocidian, Epirote). Brian D. Joseph acknowledges the closeness of Macedonian to Greek (even contemplating to group them into a "Hellenic branch" of Indo-European), but retains that "[t]he slender evidence is open to different interpretations, so that no definitive answer is really possible". Johannes Engels has pointed to the Pella curse tablet , written in Doric Greek: "This has been judged to be
920-485: The Greek-speaking world. Where the Doric dialect group fits in the overall classification of ancient Greek dialects depends to some extent on the classification. Several views are stated under Greek dialects . The prevalent theme of most views listed there is that Doric is a subgroup of West Greek . Some use the terms Northern Greek or Northwest Greek instead. The geographic distinction is only verbal and ostensibly
966-621: The Ionian Sea, and in the Achaean colonies of Magna Graecia in Southern Italy (including Sybaris and Crotone ). This strict Doric dialect was later subject to the influence of mild Doric spoken in Corinthia . It survived until 350 BC. By Hellenistic times, under the Achaean League , an Achaean Doric koine appeared, exhibiting many peculiarities common to all Doric dialects, which delayed
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#17328441971301012-478: The Northwest Doric area, most internal differences did not hinder mutual understanding, though Filos, citing Bubenik, notes that there were certain cases where a bit of accommodation may have been necessary. The earliest epigraphic texts for Northwest Doric date to the 6th–5th century BC. These are thought to provide evidence for Northwest Doric features, especially the phonology and morphophonology, but most of
1058-632: The Northwest Greek-speaking Argead Macedonians hailing from Argos Orestikon , who founded the kingdom of Lower Macedonia . However, according to Hatzopoulos, B. Helly expanded and improved his own earlier suggestion and presented the hypothesis of a (North-)' Achaean ' substratum extending as far north as the head of the Thermaic Gulf , which had a continuous relation, in prehistoric times both in Thessaly and Macedonia , with
1104-657: The Northwest Greek-speaking populations living on the other side of the Pindus mountain range, and contacts became cohabitation when the Argead Macedonians completed their wandering from Orestis to Lower Macedonia in the 7th c. BC. According to this hypothesis, Hatzopoulos concludes that the Macedonian Greek dialect of the historical period, which is attested in inscriptions, is a sort of koine resulting from
1150-401: The Orphic theogony, will lead to the birth of Demeter . Zeus would then have raped Demeter, who would have given birth to Persephone , who marries Dionysus. However, this part of the story must have continued in a second roll which is now lost. The interpreter of the poem argues that Orpheus did not intend any of these stories in a literal sense, but they are allegorical in nature. This poem
1196-516: 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. Derveni, Thessaloniki Derveni ( Greek : Δερβένι ) is a location between Efkarpia and Lagyna , approximately ten kilometers north-east of Thessaloniki . At Derveni an archeological site
1242-455: The colonies in and around Italy: Syracuse, Sicily and Ancona , and the colonies of Corcyra : Dyrrachium , and Apollonia . The earliest inscriptions at Corinth date from the early sixth century BC. They use a Corinthian epichoric alphabet. (See under Attic Greek .) Corinth contradicts the prejudice that Dorians were rustic militarists, as some consider the speakers of Laconian to be. Positioned on an international trade route, Corinth played
1288-505: The features thus attributed to Northwest Doric are not exclusive to it. The Northwest Doric dialects differ from the main Doric Group dialects in the below features: Four or five dialects of Northwestern Doric are recognised. This dialect was spoken in Phocis and in its main settlement, Delphi . Because of that it is also cited as Delphian. Plutarch says that Delphians pronounce b in
1334-634: The following verse … The first surviving columns of the text are less well preserved, but talk about occult ritual practices, including sacrifices to the Erinyes (Furies), how to remove daimones that become a problem, and the beliefs of the magi . They include a quotation of the philosopher Heraclitus . Their reconstruction is extremely controversial, since even the order of fragments is disputed. Two different reconstructions have recently been offered, that by Valeria Piano and that by Richard Janko, who notes elsewhere that he has found that these columns also include
1380-565: The four Panhellenic festivals; the Isthmian , Nemean , Pythian , and Olympic Games . By Hellenistic times, under the Achaean League , an Achaean Doric koine appeared, exhibiting many peculiarities common to all Doric dialects, which delayed the spread of the Attic -based Koine Greek to the Peloponnese until the 2nd century BC. The only living descendant of Doric is the Tsakonian language which
1426-469: The ink is black and the background is black too; in addition, it survives in the form of 266 fragments, which are conserved under glass in descending order of size, and has had to be painstakingly reconstructed. Many smaller fragments are still not placed. The papyrus is kept in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki . In total, twenty six columns of text survive today. The main part of the text
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1472-673: The interaction and the influences of various elements, the most important of which are the North- Achaean substratum, the Northwest Greek idiom of the Argead Macedonians , and the Thracian and Phrygian adstrata. Achaean Doric most probably belonged to the Northwest Doric group. It was spoken in Achaea in the northwestern Peloponnese, on the islands of Cephalonia and Zakynthos in
1518-537: The most important ancient testimony to substantiate that Macedonian was a north-western Greek and mainly a Doric dialect". Miltiades Hatzopoulos has suggested that the Macedonian dialect of the 4th century BC, as attested in the Pella curse tablet , was a sort of Macedonian 'koine' resulting from the encounter of the idiom of the ' Aeolic '-speaking populations around Mount Olympus and the Pierian Mountains with
1564-426: The northern Doric dialects. Southern dialects, in addition to numerous inscriptions, coins, and names, have also provided much more literary evidence through authors such as Alcman , Pindar , and Archimedes of Syracuse , among others, all of whom wrote in Doric. There are also ancient dictionaries that have survived; notably the one by Hesychius of Alexandria , whose work preserved many dialectal words from throughout
1610-420: The papyrus by Valeria Piano and Richard Janko , who developed a new method for taking digital microphotographs of the papyrus, a technique that permitted some of the most difficult passages to be read for the first time. Examples of these images are now in the public domain. A version of Janko's new text is available in an edition by Mirjam Kotwick, while an English edition is in preparation. The Derveni papyrus
1656-597: The place of p ( βικρὸν for πικρὸν ) Locrian Greek is attested in two locations: The dialect of Elis (earliest c. 600 BC ) is considered, after Aeolic Greek , one of the most difficult for the modern reader of epigraphic texts. Spoken at the Dodona oracle, (earliest c. 550 –500 BC) firstly under control of the Thesprotians ; later organized in the Epirote League (since c. 370 BC ). Most scholars maintain that ancient Macedonian
1702-435: The poem has Nyx (Night) give birth to Uranus (Sky), who becomes the first king. Cronus follows and takes the kingship from Uranus, but he is likewise succeeded by Zeus , whose power over the whole universe is celebrated. Zeus gains his power by hearing oracles from the sanctuary of Nyx, who tells him "all the oracles which afterwards he was to put into effect." At the end of the text, Zeus rapes his mother Rhea , which, in
1748-487: The population of Laconia in the southern Peloponnese and also by its colonies, Taras and Herakleia in Magna Graecia . Sparta was the seat of ancient Laconia. Laconian is attested in inscriptions on pottery and stone from the seventh century BC. A dedication to Helen dates from the second quarter of the seventh century. Taras was founded in 706 and its founders must already have spoken Laconic. Many documents from
1794-510: The spread of the Attic -based Koine Greek to the Peloponnese until the 2nd century BC. The Northwest Doric koine refers to a supraregional North-West common variety that emerged in the third and second centuries BC, and was used in the official texts of the Aetolian League . Such texts have been found in W. Locris, Phocis, and Phtiotis, among other sites. It contained a mix of native Northwest Doric dialectal elements and Attic forms. It
1840-659: The state of Epirus. The Northwest Doric koine was thus both a linguistic and a political rival of the Attic-Ionic koine. Proto-Greek long *ā is retained as ā , in contrast to Attic developing a long open ē ( eta ) in at least some positions. In certain Doric dialects (Severe Doric), *e and *o lengthen by compensatory lengthening or contraction to eta or omega , in contrast to Attic ei and ou ( spurious diphthongs ). Contraction: Proto-Greek *ae > Doric ē ( eta ) ~ Attic ā . Proto-Greek *eo, *ea > some Doric dialects' io, ia . Proto-Greek short *a > Doric short
1886-457: The state of Sparta survive, whose citizens called themselves Lacedaemonians after the name of the valley in which they lived. Homer calls it "hollow Lacedaemon", though he refers to a pre-Dorian period. The seventh century Spartan poet Alcman used a dialect that some consider to be predominantly Laconian. Philoxenus of Alexandria wrote a treatise On the Laconian dialect . Argolic was spoken in
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1932-465: The thickly settled northeast Peloponnese at, for example, Argos , Mycenae , Hermione , Troezen , Epidaurus , and as close to Athens as the island of Aegina . As Mycenaean Greek had been spoken in this dialect region in the Bronze Age , it is clear that the Dorians overran it but were unable to take Attica . The Dorians went on from Argos to Crete and Rhodes . Ample inscriptional material of
1978-476: The top parts of the charred papyrus scroll and fragments from ashes atop the slabs of the tomb; the bottom parts had burned away in the funeral pyre. The scroll was carefully unrolled and the fragments joined together, thus forming 26 columns of text. It survived in the humid Greek soil, which is unfavorable to the conservation of papyri, because it was carbonized (hence dried) in the nobleman's funeral pyre. However, this has made it extremely difficult to read, since
2024-554: Was a Greek dialect, probably of the Northwestern Doric group in particular. Olivier Masson , in his article for The Oxford Classical Dictionary , talks of "two schools of thought": one rejecting "the Greek affiliation of Macedonian" and preferring "to treat it as an Indo-European language of the Balkans" of contested affiliation (examples are Bonfante 1987, and Russu 1938); the other favouring "a purely Greek nature of Macedonian as
2070-471: Was apparently based on the most general features of Northwest Doric, eschewing less common local traits. Its rise was driven by both linguistic and non-linguistic factors, with non-linguistic motivating factors including the spread of the rival Attic-Ionic koine after it was recruited by the Macedonian state for administration, and the political unification of a vast territories by the Aetolian League and
2116-612: Was not officially published for forty-four years after its discovery (though three partial editions were issued). A team of experts was assembled in 2005 led by A. L. Pierris of the Institute for Philosophical studies and Dirk Obbink , director of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri project at the University of Oxford , with the help of modern multispectral imaging techniques by Roger MacFarlane and Gene Ware of Brigham Young University , to attempt
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