# Metropolitan Museum of Art Odyssey papyrus exhibition

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/metropolitan-museum-of-art-odyssey-papyrus-exhibition
> Updated: 2026-08-19T05:58:21.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is exhibiting an ancient papyrus fragment of Homer’s ‘Odyssey’. Dating to the early Hellenistic period between approximately 285 and 250 BCE, the artifact is considered one of the oldest surviving written pieces of the epic.

Discovered in 1902 near El Kab in Egypt and donated to the museum in 1909 by the Egypt Exploration Fund, the fragment contains three lines from Book 20 that are not found in modern standard versions. This provides evidence of textual variations that existed during antiquity. The exhibition follows the commercial success of a recent film adaptation of the epic starring Matt Damon.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-19: Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibits ancient Odyssey fragment

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is displaying an ancient papyrus fragment of Homer’s ‘Odyssey’, containing unique lines not found in standard modern texts.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/metropolitan-museum-of-art-exhibits-ancient-odyssey-fragment

### 2026-08-11: Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibits 2,300-year-old Odyssey papyrus

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is exhibiting a 2,300-year-old papyrus fragment containing unique lines from Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ that differ from modern versions.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/metropolitan-museum-of-art-exhibits-2300-year-old-odyssey-papyrus

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Cite as: Metropolitan Museum of Art Odyssey papyrus exhibition. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/metropolitan-museum-of-art-odyssey-papyrus-exhibition