2,300-Year-Old Fragment of Homer’s “Odyssey” Now on View at The Met

2,300-Year-Old Fragment of Homer’s “Odyssey” Now on View at The Met

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The papyrus fragment contains three lines from Book 20 of the epic that don’t appear in the modern text.


A papyrus fragment of Homer’s Odyssey on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (photo Rebecca Schear, all courtesy The Met)

The subway trek to the Upper East Side is slightly easier than Odysseus’s journey across the Mediterranean, provided the 6 train is running. For those who prevail, their reward will be plentiful: A 2,300-year-old papyrus fragment containing parts of Homer’s Odyssey is now on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The institution announced this week that the object would emerge from its long retirement on August 5. The fragment is now on public view at the museum in Gallery 162.

In a video accompanying The Met’s announcement, Séan Hemingway, curator in charge of Greek and Roman art, described the papyrus as “the earliest preserved fragment of Homer’s Odyssey that we have today.”

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🔗 Source: Original Source

📅 Published on: 2026-08-07 23:28:00

🖋️ Author: Anna Lee – An expert in architectural innovation and design trends.

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Note: This article was reviewed and edited by the archot editorial team to ensure accuracy and quality.

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