Inside one of the world’s few crash courses in conserving and caring for ancient papyrus manuscripts

Shijin Jiang, a student at the University of Michigan's Papyrus Conservation Summer Seminar, delicately examined an ancient papyrus fragment under magnification. The scholar, hailing from China, handled the fragile text with precision and care, as it had likely not been touched in a century. The seminar, unique to the Americas and one of the few globally, focused on best practices for conserving papyrus manuscripts - ancient texts written on rolls or sheets of the papyrus plant.

The course brought together nine scholars from around the globe, including Ireland, Italy, and the U.S. These researchers were granted access to Michigan's Papyrology Collection, which houses texts and documents spanning from 1000 B.C.E. to 1000 C.E. No other institution in the Western Hemisphere boasts such an extensive collection. Among the treasures in the collection are portions from Homer's epics, "The Odyssey" and "The Iliad," writings by philosopher Epicurus, and the oldest-known copy of the Epistles of Paul.

Marieka Kaye, who oversees library preservation services for physical collections at the University of Michigan Library, aimed to create a comfortable and non-threatening environment for the scholars. She emphasized that working with ancient texts can be intimidating, but the course provided an opportunity for participants to share ideas and learn from one another.