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Support a historic exhibition

The Harry Ransom Center invites you to help bring Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt to life—an extraordinary exhibition opening in April 2026. This project will showcase the world’s earliest known New Testament fragment (the St. John fragment), on view in North America for the first time, alongside rare papyri and artifacts from Greco-Roman Egypt.

Created in partnership with the John Rylands Library, the exhibition explores a richly diverse society through handwritten documents and ancient voices, connecting past lives to our own.

Your gift directly supports public access, preservation, and new research.

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  • Wooden case with reeds
    Writing palette and pen-case (Classmark 11500). Wooden palette and pen-case for a scribe, containing reed pens and a dried cake of black ink, inscribed with untranslated Demotic text. Manchester Museum, University of Manchester.
  • Papyrus fragment with written words
    St. John Fragment (P. Ryl. 457). Papyrus fragment of the Gospel of John 18:31–33, dated to the 2nd century CE. John Rylands Library, University of Manchester.
  • Painted wooden panel
    Panel painting (Classmark 2266). Encaustic portrait of a Roman woman painted on a thin wooden panel, originally attached to her mummified body, from Fayyum, Egypt. Height: 425 mm; Width: 212 mm. Manchester Museum, University of Manchester.
  • Papyrus fragment with written words
    Fragment of Homer’s Odyssey (P. Ryl. Gr. 3 546). Papyrus fragment containing lines from Homer’s Odyssey, written in Greek and possibly copied by a student. 3rd century CE. John Rylands Library, University of Manchester.
  • Wooden case with reeds
  • Papyrus fragment with written words
  • Painted wooden panel
  • Papyrus fragment with written words

Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt

April 11, 2026 – August 3, 2026

Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt is an immersive exhibition that brings to life the voices of a multilingual, multicultural society from Greco-Roman Egypt. Developed in collaboration with the John Rylands Library, this exhibition features rare papyrus manuscripts—fragile, handwritten documents rarely seen by the public. These humble sheets of papyrus revolutionized communication in the ancient world, preserving personal letters, legal petitions, magical spells, medical recipes, and early religious texts. Each fragment on display offers an extraordinary glimpse of daily life, revealing the lives of ordinary people and their vibrant cultures along the Nile.

As visitors explore, one moment they might view a mother’s plea for justice scribbled in Greek; the next, marvel at a guide to ancient healing or a charm meant to ward off harm. The exhibition highlights the blending of cultures—Egyptian, Greek, Roman—showing how ideas of magic, medicine, and religion intertwined. A highlight is one of the world’s earliest New Testament fragments, displayed alongside other treasures illustrating how religion and daily life went hand in hand.

Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt invites audiences to reflect on the power of the written word and the value of fragments. Even the smallest scrap of papyrus can open a window onto history—whether it's a snippet of a lost literary work or a shopping list from antiquity. By piecing together these remnants, the exhibition celebrates human curiosity and resilience, reminding us that every fragmentary story adds to the mosaic of history. This exhibition promises to fascinate visitors and scholars alike, offering a rare opportunity to see ancient history up close—and to support the ongoing research and preservation of these timeless voices.

Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt is organized by Dr. Jeremy Penner, Curator of African and Near Eastern Manuscripts, the John Rylands Research Institute and Library with the University of Manchester

Dr. Aaron Pratt, Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Curator of Early Books and Manuscripts at the Harry Ransom Center

Dr. Geoff Smith, Associate Professor, Fellow of the Louise Farmer Boyer Chair in Biblical Studies, University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Katherine Taronas, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins, University of Texas at Austin

National Endowment for the Humanities

Austin PBS

The Ransom Center appreciates our promotional partners: The Austin Chronicle and KUT 90.5 & KUTX 98.9

Any views, findings, recommendations or conclusions expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.