PAPYRUS OF ARTEMIDORUS

The Artemidorus Papyrus, an imposing manuscript dated to the early 1st century, features a text from an ancient work of geography attributed to the geographer Artemidorus of Ephesus. Its authenticity is subject to debate, but the papyrus, measuring 32.5 cm in height and around two and a half meters in length, contains information about the administrative division of Spain, with special attention to the provinces of Tarraconensis and Baetica. Alongside the text, there is a map of the Iberian Peninsula and numerous drawings, including anatomical parts and animals, with accompanying captions. The unique composition of the papyrus, according to scholars, could be the result of a complicated history known as the theory of the three lives. Initially used to contain the geographic text, it would have been reused as an album for sketches and drawings for painters, then as paper for pulp making, and finally to create papier-mâché for funerary use. Purchased by the Fondazione per l'Arte della Compagnia di San Paolo di Torino in 2004, the papyrus has been exhibited in Turin and Berlin. In 2018, the public prosecutor of Turin declared the lack of authenticity of the object, but no legal proceedings were carried out due to the statute of limitations for the offenses.