Charioteer Papyrus
Illustration — The Charioteer Papyrus The Charioteer Papyrus (London, Egypt Exploration Society, s.n.) is a 5th-century fragment of an illustration from an unknown work of literature. It is one of the finest surviving fragments of ancient book illustration. Unlike other surviving illustrated fragments of papyrus, such as the Romance Papyrus and the Heracles Papyrus, which have illustrations that are little more than mere sketches, the Charioteer Papyrus is sensitively drawn and finely colored.
Charioteer Papyrus
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
- Date
- 475
- Material
- papyrus
- Held by
- Egypt Exploration Society
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — The Charioteer Papyrus The Charioteer Papyrus (London, Egypt Exploration Society, s.n.) is a 5th-century fragment of an illustration from an unknown work of literature. It is one of the finest surviving fragments of ancient book illustration. Unlike other surviving illustrated fragments of papyrus, such as the Romance Papyrus and the Heracles Papyrus, which have illustrations that are little more than mere sketches, the Charioteer Papyrus is sensitively drawn and finely colored.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Charioteer Papyrus. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q5074373 · wikipedia · Charioteer Papyrus
In this article
The object
The object
It shows portions of six charioteers in the red or green tunics of their factions. It is unlikely that it served as an illustration for the chariot race at the games at the funeral of Patroclus in the Iliad, since the number of charioteers is wrong. It undoubtedly served an illustration for a literary work and was once bound as a codex. There are only a few letters of text on the illustrated side of the fragment, but on the back are the first letters of thirteen lines of writing. There is not enough to identify the work. The language and alphabet are Greek, and the style might indicate an origin in Egypt.
History of the document
Dated record
History of the document
The full dated record · 1 entries
475
Charioteer Papyrus created.
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Turner, 1973
- 2.Weitzmann, 1979
Bibliography printed in the source article · 3
- Manuscrits gréco-romains et paléochrétiens. Chêne. 1977. 2-85108-117-9.
- Age of Spirituality : Late Antique and Early Christian Art, Third to Seventh century. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1979.
- The Charioteers from Antinoe. E. G. Turner. The Journal of Hellenic Studies. 93. 1973. 192-195.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Manuscripts
376 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Cathach of St. ColumbaManuscript
- Celtic PsalterManuscript
- Chansonnier d'ArrasManuscript
- Chantilly CodexManuscript
- Charles DickensAuthor
- Chigi codexManuscript
- Chludov PsalterManuscript
- Chōjū-jinbutsu-gigaManuscript
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a copy of Charioteer Papyrus?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.