A Dutch scientist found a 1,700-year-old fragment from the Odyssey while doing research at the local library. Mondadori Portfolio See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on Google It was an epic find.
A Dutch scientist’s library research took a dramatic turn after he discovered a 1,700-year-old fragment from “The Odyssey” hidden inside a book from Utrecht University.
Mark de Kreij, a Greek literature expert and professor, was researching ancient Egyptian and Greek texts in the Dutch city. As he skimmed a collection of early Christian manuscripts, he happened upon a peculiar scrap of parchment.
3 A 4th-century fragment of “The Odyssey,” discovered by Dr. Mark de Kreij of Radboud University, is pictured at the Utrecht University Library. Utrecht University It measured just 2.6 by 3 inches — the size of a playing card — and with its water stains, discoloration and tiny, neat letters, the piece looked unremarkable at first.
But Professor de Kreij recognized it as a key plot point in the classic saga.
“This happens to be a really fun passage,” he told RTV Utrecht.
3 A mosaic scene depicting Odysseus and the Sirens from Homer’s Odyssey is seen on Wednesday, October 18, 2006, at The Bardo Museum in Tunis, Tunisia. Fotokon – stock.adobe.com This pivotal passage describes the unfortunate moment that the Sun god, Helios, discovers that Odysseus and his men have feasted on his herd of sacred golden cows.
Earlier in the epic, the Greek hero was warned by the sorceress Circe to watch out for Helios; ultimately, he ignored her advice and let his sailors run rampant on the enchanted land.
His mariners decided to barbecue the divine bovines, causing Helios to plot bloody revenge on the ship’s crew.
At the end of the chapter, ever sailor except Odysseus has been killed by Zeus and his lightning bolts.
Researchers suspect that the parchment belonged to a pocketbook edition of the sword-and-sandals epic that was produced in the Fayum Oasis in Egypt around 300 A.D., proving that the tale was a fixture long before Christopher Nolan’s 2026 blockbuster.
Professor de Kreij dubbed the parchment an anomaly, claiming that most unearthed passages are quite “boring,” per a release from the university.
He said the Egyptian excerpt likely only survived because it was protected by the other pages.
Even more remarkably, the Odyssey fragment is one of just 30 that have been discovered — including one that’s currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“I have the best job in the world,” said de Kreij. “I am a treasure hunter. Every day you find something nice. This is one of them.”
