Just like us, the people of ancient Egypt were concerned about family, politics, and any number of other things. We know this from papyrus texts that have survived to this day. A large trove of them was recovered 100 miles from Cairo in the early 20th century. For the Geo Quiz we want you to name the town where the scrolls were found.
Archaeologists at Oxford University have been poring over the papers for quite some time now. They can’t do it all by themselves, though, so they’re seeking help. They’ve put hundreds of thousands of images of the ancient scrolls online for you to decode.
The place where those Egyptian scrolls were found has two names — one ancient, one modern. The answers are Oxyrhynchus and the name the town goes by today, El Bahnasa. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Dr. Chris Linnott of Oxford University.
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!