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Wisconsin Papyri Collection
UW-Madison's Department of Special Collections in Memorial Library holds a small collection of 83 papyrus fragments. Ranging in date from the 3rd century BCE to the 7th century CE, the collection consists primarily of papyri written in Greek about a variety of topics. In the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Pieter Johannes Sijpesteijn of the University of Amsterdam published a thorough description and analysis of each fragment in a two volume set entitled The Wisconsin Papyri (Brill, 1967-1977). This digital collection presents each fragment along with a transcription, translation, physical description, and other excerpts from Dr. Sijpesteijn's work.
Wisconsin Papyri Collection Sample items in the collection
History of the Collection
The University of Wisconsin-Madison acquired this collection of 83 papyrus fragments in the spring of 1920 under the guidance of William L. Westermann, who was at that time a member of UW-Madison’s faculty. The fragments were purchased in Egypt with the assistance and guidance of Bernard P. Grenfell of Oxford University and Francis W. Kelsey of the University of Michigan; funds for the purchase were provided in part by a UW-Madison student, William W. McKay.
Shortly after the fragments arrived at the University, British papyrologist Arthur S. Hunt created a provisional inventory of the collection. A few scattered publications of specific fragments followed, but it was not until 1964 that any scholars attempted a comprehensive analysis of the collection. In that year, Dr. Pieter Johannes Sijpesteijn of the University of Amsterdam began working on a two-volume publication titled The Wisconsin Papyri that would contain the first public description of most of the fragments in the collection.
In the years since, The Wisconsin Papyri have been featured in several online databases and publications, including the Advanced Papyrological Information System (APIS) through papyri.info and trismegistos.org.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Special Collections no longer collects undocumented papyri or accepts undocumented papyri into its holdings. For more information about the history of this practice, please see the American Society of Papyrologists' Resolution Concerning the Illicit Trade in Papyri (published in the Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 44 (2007), pages 289-290).
The Wisconsin Papyrus Digital Collection
This digital collection features all of the fragments held by UW-Madison's Department of Special Collections. Each fragment is accompanied by the transcription and translation provided by Dr. Sijpesteijn, as well as relevant notes describing the fragment's content, physical condition, and other notable features.
Please direct any questions about materials in this collection to the Department of Special Collections at AskSpecial@library.wisc.edu.
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This compilation (including design, introductory text, organization, and descriptive material) is copyrighted by University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents.
This copyright is independent of any copyright on specific items within the collection. Because the University of Wisconsin Libraries generally do not own the rights to materials in these collections, please consult copyright or ownership information provided with individual items.
Images, text, or other content downloaded from the collection may be freely used for non-profit educational and research purposes, or any other use falling within the purview of "Fair Use".
In all other cases, please consult the terms provided with the item, or contact the Libraries.
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https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WiscPapyri
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