Edgar Lobel: 1889-1982

Edgar Lobel was the giant of the literary papyri of Oxyrhynchus. His association with the collection spanned a period of nearly seventy years, from the days of Grenfell and Hunt to the current generation of editors. His contributions of meticulous and matchless scholarship adorn the pages of volume after volume produced during that long period; nine of them carry his name alone. For decades he acted as curator of the major part of the collection, in his room in The Queen’s College in Oxford, until purpose-built accommodation for it became available within the Ashmolean Museum. The austere impression he gave on first acquaintance belied his rich store of anecdotes and his deliciously wicked sense of humour.

A Millenium of Documents