Classics@5: Proceedings of the Derveni Papyrus Conference

Edited by Ioanna Papadopoulou and Leonard Muellner

In July, 2008, the Center for Hellenic Studies hosted a three-day symposium on the Derveni Papyrus in light of the recent publication of the edition by Theokritos Kouremenos, George M. Parássoglou, and Kyriakos Tsantsanoglou (Florence, Olschki, 2006; the text of the papyrus from that edition is available on this website here). The symposium was an opportunity to gather scholars who in the course of the past decades have been working on this text to address a set of issues relating to the edition and integration of the papyrus, its translation, and its interpretation. Albert Henrichs (Havard University), Francesca Schironi (Harvard University), and Gregory Nagy (Harvard University and the Center for Hellenic Studies) hosted the conference; Ioanna Papadopoulou (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Center for Hellenic Studies) organized the Round Table discussions at the conference.

The following scholars attended the conference:

Alberto Bernabé (Universidad Complutense, Madrid)
Anton Bierl (University of Basel)
Walter Burkert (University of Zurich) by video
Claude Calame (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales)
Radcliffe Edmonds (Bryn Mawr College)
Fritz Graf (The Ohio State University)
Richard Hunter (Trinity College, University of Cambridge UK)
Sarah Iles Johnston (The Ohio State University)
Charles Kahn (University of Pennsylvania)
Franco Montanari (Universita degli Studi di Genova)
Glenn Most (Scuola Normale di Pisa and University of Chicago)
Dirk Obbink (Christ Church, University of Oxford UK)
Ioanna Papadopoulou (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Center for Hellenic Studies)
Antonios Rengakos (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)
Jeffrey Rusten (Cornell University)
David Sider (New York University)
Evina Sistakou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)
Kyriakos Tsantsanoglou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) by video
Yannis Tzifopoulos (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)

On this website, the papers and presentations of the following participants are available.

Contents

Ioanna Papadopoulou, "Introduction. Testing our Tools: Open Questions on the Derveni Papyrus."

Alberto Bernabé, "On the Rites Described and Commented upon in the Derveni Papyrus, Cols. I-VI."

Anton Bierl, "'Riddles over Riddles': 'Mysterious' and 'Symbolic' (Inter)textual Strategies. The Problem of Language in the Derveni Papyrus."

Walter Burkert (Professor Emeritus, University of Zurich), "How to Learn About Souls: The Derveni Papyrus and Democritus," followed by a discussion with Anton Bierl and Ioanna Papadopoulou 

[PDF Version].

Claude Calame, "Le papyrus de Derveni entre pouvoir de la parole orale et pratique de l’écriture : pragmatique initiatique d’un poème orphique et de son commentaire."

Fritz Graf, "Derveni and Ritual" [PDF Version].

Richard Hunter, "The Garland of Hippolytus" [PDF Version]. This piece also appeared in Trends in Classics, vol. 1.1 [2009].

Sarah Iles Johnston, "Divination in the Derveni Papyrus" [PDF Version].

Jeffrey Rusten, "Unlocking the Orphic Doors: Interpretation of Poetry in the Derveni Papyrus between Pre-Socratics and Alexandrians" [PDF Version].

David Sider, "The Orphic Poem of the Derveni Papyrus" [PDF Version].

Evina Sistakou, "Reading the Authorial Strategies in the Derveni Papyrus" [PDF Version]. This piece also appeared in Trends in Classics, vol. 1.1 [2009].

Yannis Z. Tzifopoulos, "The Derveni Papyrus (PDerveni) and the Bacchic-Orphic Epistomia" [PDF Version]. This piece also appeared in Trends in Classics, vol. 1.1 [2009].

Prof. (EMER.) Kyriakos Tsantsanoglou, "Some Desiderata in the Study of the Derveni Papyrus."

[PDF Handout; PDF Transcript].