17.12.2025

TIDA Vortrag: The New Empedocles Papyrus. The Theory of Effluences and Sense Perceptions. Oliver Primavesi (LMU) presenting the findings of the new Empedocles papyrus

Zeit und Ort: Mittwoch, 17.12.25, 10 - 12 Uhr, Weizsäcker Zentrum, Doblerstraße 33, Hörsaal

The New Empedocles Papyrus. The Theory of Effluences and Sense Perceptions

 Oliver Primavesi

December 17, 2025, 10am–1pm
CFvWZ, Hörsaal, Doblerstraße 33

The New Empedocles Papyrus P.Fouad inv. 218

Abstract: The papyrus fragment P. Fouad inv. 218 is kept in the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale du Caire. It was written by the same hand as the so-called “Strasburg Empedocles” and identified as Empedoclean by Nathan Carlig in January 2021. The editio princeps, with full introduction, translation, and commentary, was prepared between spring 2022 and summer 2025 by N. Carlig, Alain Martin, and Oliver Primavesi, and is now in print. The papyrus contains parts of 30 hitherto unknown verses of Empedocles’ Physica, which deal with the theory of effluences (1^st column) and its application to sense perception via pores (2^nd column), with special emphasis on sight. Hitherto, the theory in question was known only via the reports provided by later authors from Plato and Aristotle onwards: therefore, it is of considerable interest to compare these reports with the firsthand evidence now available.