Researchers Discover Long-Lost Words of Ancient Greek Philosopher After 2,000 Years

A 2,000-year-old papyrus fragment, P.Fouad inv. 218, was identified as a previously unrecognized part of Physica.

The fragment contains 30 previously unknown verses by Empedocles.

It is the only known copy of Physica, and other parts of the same scroll are preserved in Strasbourg.

The newly revealed text focuses on particle emissions and sensory perception, especially vision.

For the first time, scholars can read Empedocles' ideas directly rather than only through later quotations.