22 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Oldest “Book” of Europe: Derveni Papyrus

The Derveni papyrus is considered Europe’s oldest legible manuscript still in existence today. It is an ancient Greek papyrus roll from the reign of Philip II of Macedon, most likely between 340 and 320 B.C.

The Derveni Papyrus was inscribed on the Memory of the World International Register as the oldest ‘book’ of Europe, following the decision by the International Advisory Committee of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme.

The discovery provides new information about ancient philosophy prior to Socrates and has been hailed as “the most significant new piece of evidence about Greek philosophy and religion to come to light since the Renaissance.”

The history of the text’s discovery and decoding, known as the “Most Ancient Book in Europe,” is almost as interesting as the information it contains. The papyrus was badly charred when it was discovered by chance in Derveni (near Thessalonika), Greece in 1962. It wasn’t until 2006 that the text was decoded, and the allegorical commentary and ancient religious teachings it contained were revealed, raising more questions and sparking controversy.

It was found in 1962 during construction projects close to Derveni, about 10 kilometers from Thessaloniki, and close to a tiny ancient settlement called Lete. The so-called “Derveni tombs,” all but one of which had not been looted, were discovered during the excavations. The carbonized roll was discovered on the slabs that covered Derveni Tomb A, along with other remains from the deceased’s cremation.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Drawing of the interior of Derveni Tomb A, where the Derveni Papyrus was recovered in 1962.
( Themelis and Touratsoglou )

The Derveni Papyrus has been dated between 350 and 320 BC. However, the text contained within could date back to the 5th century BC. The document’s author is unknown, though some scholars suggest Euthyphron of Prospalta, Diagoras of Melos, and Stesimbrotus of Thasos as possible candidates.

Work is a philosophical treatise on the nature of the gods, cosmogony, the theory of the soul, and the nature of religious rituals. According to UNESCO, the text is of global significance, in that it reflects universal human values, such as the need to explain the world, the desire to belong to a human society with known rules, and the agony to confront the end of life.

“The Derveni Papyrus is of immense importance not only for the study of Greek religion and philosophy, which is the basis for western philosophical thought but also because it serves as proof of the early dating of the Orphic poems offering a distinctive version of pre-Socratic philosophers,” UNESCO says about the papyrus.

The papyrus is a key insight into ancient European philosophy and literature – Copyright Orestis Kourakis/Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki archive

According to UNESCO, the Derveni Papyrus, the first book of western tradition is globally influential and reflective of universal human values, which include but are not limited to the need for an explanation of the universe and life in general, the desire for belonging to a community and coming to terms with death.

The Derveni Papyrus now has a total of 26 columns after four more columns were deciphered thanks to technology.

The text is described as follows by the Center for Hellenistic Studies at Harvard University:

“The eschatological teaching of a mantis; the content is divided between religious instructions on sacrifices to gods and souls and allegorical commentary on a theological poem ascribed to Orpheus. The author’s outlook is philosophical, displaying, in particular, a physical system close to those of Anaxagoras, the Atomists, and Diogenes of Apollonia. His allegorical method of interpretation is especially interesting, frequently reminiscent of Socrates’ playful mental and etymological acrobatics as seen in Plato’s Cratylus.”

Related Articles

The Gobi Wall: Ancient Statecraft Hidden in Mongolia’s Sands

17 June 2025

17 June 2025

Stretching 321 kilometers across the arid highlands of southern Mongolia, the Gobi Wall has long stood as a silent enigma...

Archaeologists revealed Urartian King Menua second temple in Van excavations

22 December 2022

22 December 2022

The second temple of King Menua as well as a chamber tomb were unearthed during the excavations carried out this...

Treasure Hunter Claims to Find First Council of Nicaea’s Location, Demands $50 Million for Discovery

26 April 2025

26 April 2025

In a startling revelation, Mustafa Uysal, a treasure hunter from Bursa, has claimed to have unearthed an underground city in...

Excavations at Meir Necropolis have turned up funerary artifacts from two distinct eras of ancient history

16 May 2023

16 May 2023

An Egyptian team of archaeologists has uncovered a collection of structural relics dated to the Byzantine and Late Period in...

A rare statue of K’awiil, Mayan god of Lighting have uncovered in Mexico

1 May 2023

1 May 2023

In southeastern Mexico, archaeologists uncovered a rare sculpture of a powerful Mayan god near the path of a large-scale rail...

The camel carvings in Saudi Arabia are 8000 years old!

15 September 2021

15 September 2021

Life-size animal reliefs found in Saudi Arabia were carved almost 8,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, when the desert...

Archaeologists have uncovered the first human representations of the people of mythical Tartessos

19 April 2023

19 April 2023

Archaeologists representing Spain’s National Research Council (CSIS) excavating at the site of Casas del Turunuelo have uncovered the first human...

A Remarkable Underground City Discovered Beneath Historic Yazd Homes in Central Iran

26 January 2025

26 January 2025

A remarkable ‘underground city’ was discovered under five historical houses in the ancient town of Abarkuh in Yazd province in...

Synchrotron Technique Reveals Mysterious Portrait Underneath Renaissance Painting

16 April 2023

16 April 2023

Conservators and curators from the Art Gallery of New South Wales used the Australian Synchrotron’s advanced imaging technique to learn...

Carvings at Göbeklitepe could be World’s Oldest Calendar

6 August 2024

6 August 2024

Experts suggest that markings on a stone pillar at the 12,000-year-old Göbeklitepe archaeological site in Türkiye probably represent the oldest...

Archaeologists Discovered One of the Earliest Christian Buildings in Bahrain

14 July 2024

14 July 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered one of the earliest known Christian buildings in the Arabian Gulf, located in Samahij, Bahrain, and providing...

Tutankhamun of Kazakhstan, “Golden Man”

1 August 2024

1 August 2024

The Golden Man, the main symbol of Kazakhstan’s independence, is a warrior’s costume from about the 5th century BC that...

Shocking Images Appeared As The Waters Recede

8 February 2021

8 February 2021

As the dams recede, the remains of the flooded settlements come to light. This time Kayseri witnessed these images that...

1700 years ago the Korean peninsula had more genetic diversity than in our time, “Facial reconstruction possible through DNA analyses”

22 June 2022

22 June 2022

An international team led by The University of Vienna and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in collaboration...

Opulent Bronze Age Girl’s Tomb Discovered in Iran’s Greater Khorasan Civilization

1 August 2025

1 August 2025

Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkably rich Bronze Age burial of a young woman at the site of Tepe Chalow in...