The
Derveni papyrus is an
ancient Greek papyrus roll that was found in 1962. It is a philosophical treatise that is an allegorical commentary on an
Orphic poem, a
theogony concerning the birth of the gods, produced in the circle of the philosopher
Anaxagoras, it was composed near the end of the 5th century BC, making it "the most important new piece of evidence about Greek philosophy and religion to come to light since the Renaissance" (Janko 2005). It dates to around 340 BC, during the reign of
Philip II of Macedon, making it Europe's oldest surviving
manuscript. It was finally published in 2006.