Only a few poems of the ancient Greek poetess Sappho have survived, but thanks to new findings, two new works have been recovered. These previously unknown poems came to light when the owner of an ancient papyrus consulted Oxford classicist and world-renowned papyrologist Dr. Dirk Obbink about the Greek writings on the tattered scrap; Obbink quickly realized the importance of what the papyrus contained and asked its owner for permission to publish it.

Sappho, who lived in Lesvos in the 7th century B.C. was famous in antiquity and produced a huge literary output. Nevertheless, only one complete poem survives until today, along with substantial portions of four others. One of those four was only recovered in 2004, also from a scrap of papyrus.

One of the two recovered poems speaks of a Charaxos and a Larichos, the names assigned by ancient Greeks to two of Sappho’s brothers. The poem is set to cause discussions about whether or not the two men are Sappho’s brothers. The new Sappho papyrus probably came from the Egyptian city of Oxyrynchus, home to a large Greek-speaking population in antiquity and the source of most of these papyri.

Greek Reporter: New Poems of Greek Poetess Sappho Recovered