密歇根大学开办美洲唯一的纸莎草手稿保护研讨班

密歇根大学开办了美洲地区唯一的古埃及纸莎草手稿保护暑期研讨班，致力于培训来自全球各地的学者掌握这些古代文献的保存、处理和护理技术1。该研讨班为期10天，自2012年首次举办以来每两年举办一次，迄今共吸引约50名学生参加1。

密歇根大学拥有美洲最大的纸莎草文献收藏，涵盖公元前1000年至公元1000年的古代文献1。这些珍贵藏品包括荷马史诗《奥德赛》和《伊利亚特》的片段、哲学家伊壁鸠鲁的著作以及现存最古老的保罗书信副本1。许多文献来自密歇根大学于1924至1935年间对埃及古遗址卡拉尼斯的考古发掘1。

纸莎草收藏馆长朱利亚诺·西德罗表示，"如果我们不培养下一代文物保护专家，这门手艺就会失传"1。该研讨班正为全球培养专业的文献保护人才，传承纸莎草文献保护这一珍贵的学术传统。

The University of Michigan has established the only intensive crash course in papyrus manuscript conservation in the Americas, equipping scholars from around the world with essential techniques for preserving, handling, and caring for ancient texts1. The university houses the largest collection of papyrus documents in the Americas, spanning from 1000 B.C.E. to 1000 C.E., including fragments of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, philosophical works by Epicurus, and some of the oldest surviving copies of letters attributed to Paul1.

The 10-day workshop has been offered every two years since its inaugural session in 2012, with approximately 50 students having participated in total1. Many of the university's papyrus holdings came from archaeological excavations at Karanis, Egypt, conducted between 1924 and 19351.

Giuliano Sidro, curator of Michigan's Papyrology Collection, emphasized the program's critical importance: "If we don't train the next generations of conservators, this is a craft that is going to be lost"1. The workshop addresses an urgent need to pass on specialized knowledge to emerging experts in a field where trained practitioners remain scarce, ensuring that methods for preserving these invaluable historical documents continue to be transmitted to future generations1.