
The Derveni Papyrus
The Derveni Papyrus, Europe's oldest surviving manuscript, is an ancient Greek papyrus scroll dating to approximately 340 BCE. Found in Derveni, in northern Greece, in 1962, the scroll is an allegorical commentary on a poem ascribed to the mythic poet Orpheus which discusses the birth of the gods. It begins with the words "Close the doors, you uninitiated," a famous admonition to secrecy. Why did it take 44 years from the scroll's discovery for its full text to be published?