<< Back to A-Z list

Coptic Manuscripts

Date range: 4th-19th centuries

Medium: Manuscript

The collection comprises texts on papyri, parchment, paper and ostraca.

There are 47 ostraca which were acquired by Enriqueta Rylands in 1901 from Lord Crawford, as were most of the 478 items on papyrus, paper and parchment described by Crum (see 'Further Information' below).

The bulk of the items catalogued by Crum are Sa'idic, dating from the 4th century AD onwards. They include biblical, liturgical and apocryphal texts, legal documents and letters. Among the manuscripts are the earliest Bohairic New Testament manuscript and a series of private letters older than any previously identified in Coptic.

There are also many hundreds of papyri fragments not catalogued by Crum, most of which are from the Ashmunain collection acquired by the 26th Earl of Crawford.

See also:

Further information:

Location:


<< Back to A-Z list