Papyrus Conservation Summer Seminar student Shijin (Giada) Jiang examines a papyrus fragment at the University of Michigan, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo\/Mike Householder)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-08-20T05:59:29Z<\/p>\n
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) \u2014 Shijin Jiang pulled the precision binocular headband magnifier over her eyes and hunched down within a few inches of the ancient text resting on a light board.<\/p>\n
Using a pair of hand tools, Shijin carefully inspected the sheet made from the papyrus plant, proceeding with the utmost care. After all, it most likely hadn\u2019t been handled in a century \u2014 nor read for thousands of years.<\/p>\n
The Papyrus Conservation Summer Seminar at the University of Michigan is the only one of its kind in the Americas, according to the university. And it\u2019s one of the few in the world designed to convey the best practices for conserving papyrus manuscripts<\/a><\/span>, ancient texts written on rolls or sheets made from the papyrus plant.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you touch this papyrus, you can feel the history,\u201d said Shijin, a native of China who was among nine scholars from across the globe, including Ireland, Italy and the U.S., who took the 10-day course.<\/p>\n Michigan\u2019s Papyrology Collection covers texts and documents from 1000 B.C.E. to 1000 C.E. No institution on this side of the world has more of them, the Ann Arbor school said, giving the researchers access to a vast collection of ancient papyri. There are portions of the Homer epics, \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d<\/a><\/span> and \u201cThe Iliad,\u201d writings by the philosopher Epicurus and the oldest-known copy of the Epistles of Paul.<\/p>\n \u201cCarrying on this tradition is an incredible responsibility, but it also is incredibly fun and rewarding, because there\u2019s nothing I love more than getting people together from all over the world, sharing ideas, learning from each other,\u201d said Marieka Kaye, who manages library preservation services for physical collections at the University of Michigan Library.<\/p>\n Kaye said she tried to make \u201cthings comfortable and not scary, because a lot of people just feel terrified working on these ancient things.\u201d<\/p>\n