Presocratics and Papyrological Tradition

The papyri transmit a part of the testimonia relevant to pre-Socratic philosophy. The Corpus dei Papiri Filosofici takes this material only partly into account. In this volume, a team of specialists discusses some of the most important papyrological texts that are major instruments for reconstructing pre-Socratic philosophy and doxography. Furthermore, these texts help to increase our knowledge of how pre-Socratic thought through contributions to physics, cosmology, ethics, ontology, theology, anthropology, hermeneutics, and aesthetics paved the way for the canonic scientific fields of European culture. More specifically, each paper tackles (published and unpublished) papyrological texts concerning the Orphics, the Milesians, Heraclitus, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, the early Atomists, and the Sophists. For the first time in the field of pre-Socratics studies, several papers are devoted to the Herculanean sources, along with others concerning the Graeco-Egyptian papyri and the Derveni Papyrus.

Auteur

Christian Vassallo, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy.

Résumé

"The above-summarized essays will without doubt open new perspectives on papyri of philosophical relevance, especially on the Derveni Papyrus and on Herculaneum papyri, and its impact in the field is unquestionable. All the chapters display a first-class expertise in the field of textual approaches to philosophical texts, innovative solutions for both old chestnuts (like the Derveni Papyrus) and for lesser-known topics. This fact makes this stimulating book an essential reference for any scholar interested in the above-mentioned texts and will without doubt push the scholarly debate forward." Ilaria Andolfi in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2020.12.31

"The most recent publication in the series presents another monumental work of scholarship in the field. Edited by Christian Vassallo, Presocratics and Papyrological Tradition offers a collection of chapters developed out of an international workshop held in Trier in 2016. It presents eighteen varied and individually fascinating engagements with both published and unpublished papyrological evidence for early Greek philosophy, including the Herculanean sources, and the Derveni and Strasbourg papyri. The individual chapters, authored by leading figures in the fields, demonstrate an enormous range of perspectives on and potential in the papyrological evidence." Jenny Bryan, in: Greece & Rome, 67 (2020) 280*-*287

"Overall, this is book of substance and succeeds in its main ambition. [...] all scholars of this period of philosophy will find something to savour and take away." Benjamin Harriman in: Philosophical Papyri, 1 (2023) 179-180