Major Discovery in Ancient Green Literature as Papyrus Fragments of ‘Lost’ Euripides Tragedies Deciphered

The Euripides Papyrus discovered in Philadelphia, Egypt, in 2022. Photo: Yvona Trnka-Amrhein/Artnet

In a landmark discovery for Ancient Greek literature, archaeologists have unearthed portions of two previously lost plays by the 5th-century B.C.E. dramatist Euripides.

This revelation, which includes about 100 lines from “Ino” and “Polyidos,” marks one of the most important finds in the field over the last fifty years.

The fragments were found during excavations led by an Egyptian archaeological team at the ancient necropolis of Philadelphia, located 75 miles southwest of Cairo, Artnet reports.

Discovered in 3rd-century C.E. pit graves tied to an older funerary structure, the papyrus pieces offer new insights into Euripides’ work.

Basem Gehad, the director of the excavation project, collaborated with Yvona Trnka-Amrhein, an assistant professor of classics at the University of Colorado Boulder, to identify the texts.

With the help of an online database of ancient Greek texts, they confirmed the writings as Euripidean.

Trnka-Amrhein and her colleague John Gibert, an expert on Euripides, have since translated and analyzed these texts.

Their findings are detailed in the recent issue of the Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy, which focuses on Greek and Roman literature, history, and philosophy.

“Ino and Polyidos, were known only by plot summaries and a handful of quotations before,” Trnka-Amrhein explained via email.

“This is the most significant find of Greek tragedy since the publication of a papyrus of Euripides Erechtheus in the Sorbonne collection in 1967,” she added.

The papyrus has been dated to the 3rd century C.E., and its format suggests it might have served as an educational tool, breaking down complex words into syllables possibly for elementary readers.

The researchers noted, “The non-luxury format of the literary text preclude[s] commercial production,” indicating that the producer was likely a higher education teacher with access to a substantial library of classics.

The unearthed texts do not fit neatly into established categories, either formally or thematically, adding to their mystery and significance.

Both plays interestingly incorporate a tomb into their narratives.

The “Polyidos” fragment recounts a debate on power, wealth, and governance between King Minos and the seer Polyidos, with Polyidos admonishing the king:

“You’re rich, but don’t think you understand the rest. Ineptitude arises in prosperity. You are foolishly trying to overturn the established laws and throw the rules into confusion.”

The “Ino” fragment depicts a tragic rivalry between Ino and Themisto, the current and former queens of Thessalian king Athamas, each plotting against the other’s children.

Ino triumphs over Themisto in the fragment, illustrating the intense personal and political conflicts characteristic of Euripides’ tragedies.

The discovery not only sheds light on lost works of Euripides but also promises more findings, as the authors mention, “several other fragments of papyrus [were found] whose publication is forthcoming.” This continues to expand our understanding of classical texts and their contexts.

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