Unique

The Bankes Homer

A 2nd-century Iliad papyrus, now readable at full resolution

The Bankes Homer

Circa 150 C.E., someone copied out the last book of the Iliad on papyrus, and enough of it survived to become one of the best-preserved ancient manuscripts of the poem anywhere. It is now scanned at a resolution that shows the scribe’s hand — the column ruling, the corrections, the reading marks a later owner added. Free to page through, no library card, no glass case.

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