Written Culture in Late Antiquity and Byzantine Papyrology

Since his election in 2015, Jean-Luc Fournet has been exploring—through his courses and the research programs that inform them—the major cultural issues spanning Late Antiquity (4^th–7^th centuries), to which papyri can make a new and decisive contribution. Decisive, not only because they bring back to life authors who were lost in the wreckage of ancient literary heritage, but also because of the unique perspective they offer on ancient societies: unlike inscriptions or literary sources—which present a more idealized or normative image of individuals and their institutions—the papyri immerse us in the daily lives of the ancients, revealing what lies behind the scenes. Furthermore, unlike literary sources preserved by medieval witnesses and resulting from a long chain of transmission that has altered at least their form, papyri are original documents that make possible an archaeology of ancient writing. Beyond its content, a papyrus contains data that shed light on how the ancients wrote, read, and formatted the authors or texts they wished to disseminate.

This contribution of papyri became particularly significant during Late Antiquity (4^th–7^th centuries), a transitional period marked by the decline of paganism and the triumph of Christianity, which gave rise to a new perspective on ancient works, new forms of literary production, and new modes of writing. Documentary papyri began to reflect a more demonstrative conception of culture, which profoundly shaped their composition. They thus became genuine cultural documents, allowing for a more sociological approach to literary culture than the literary texts themselves permit.

After establishing the multilingual and multicultural framework of Egypt, Jean-Luc Fournet continues his exploration of written culture: How did it become Christianized? How did traditional culture react? To this end, he explores the places where this culture is practiced—such as libraries and schools—engaging in a constant dialogue between literary texts and documents.

Alongside the courses , seminars provide an opportunity to decipher and study unpublished papyri that enrich the coursework.

Finally, in addition to developing new research tools , the chair launched the Studia Papyrologica et Aegyptiaca Parisina series in 2020 , which features papyrological studies and monographs on post-pharaonic Egypt.