A remarkable discovery in the archives of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology has brought to light thirty previously unknown verses by Empedocles, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the work of one of ancient Greece’s most enigmatic thinkers.
The verses were identified on a two-thousand-year-old papyrus fragment by Nathan Carlig, a papyrologist at the University of Liège. Catalogued as P.Fouad inv. 218, the fragment has been confirmed as part of the Physica, a major philosophical poem by Empedocles of Agrigentum dating back to the 5th century BC.
Until now, scholars’ understanding of Empedocles’ ideas depended entirely on indirect sources—fragmentary quotations and interpretations preserved in later works by figures such as Plato, Aristotle, and Plutarch. The newly discovered papyrus, however, allows researchers to engage directly with the philosopher’s original words for the first time.
“This fragment gives us access to Empedocles without the filter of later authors, whose interpretations could be partial or biased,” Carlig said. Notably, it is currently the only known copy of the Physica, although related fragments from the same scroll are preserved in Strasbourg.
The recovered verses explore themes central to Empedoclean thought, including theories of particle effluvia and sensory perception, with particular attention to vision. Scholars analysing the text have uncovered striking connections to later philosophical works. These include probable source material for passages in Plutarch’s writings, as well as links to a dialogue by Plato and texts by Theophrastus, a pupil of Aristotle.
Further echoes of Empedocles’ ideas have also been identified in unexpected places, from the comedies of Aristophanes to the writings of the Roman philosopher Lucretius. The findings strengthen the argument that Empedocles may have influenced early atomist thought, anticipating later philosophers such as Democritus.
To illustrate the importance of the discovery, researchers offered a modern analogy: it is as if future scholars knew Victor Hugo only through scattered excerpts and adaptations—such as Les Misérables or Notre-Dame de Paris—and then suddenly uncovered pages from an original manuscript.
The verses, along with their first edition, translation and scholarly commentary, have been published in L’Empédocle du Caire, edited by Nathan Carlig, Alain Martin and Olivier Primavesi.
Experts describe the find as part of a broader revival in the study of ancient texts. Echoing the manuscript hunts of Renaissance humanists, modern papyrologists continue to uncover lost works hidden in archives and collections. As Carlig noted, this ongoing effort represents a “second Renaissance” for ancient literature.
The newly discovered verses are expected to reshape scholarly understanding of Empedocles’ philosophy and provide fresh insight into his place within the wider tradition of Greek thought.
Sources : Université de Liège