On this episode of the Peopling the Past Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Roberta Mazza, a papyrologist and an Associate professor in the department of Cultural Heritage Studies at University of Bologna where she also earned her PhD in Papyrology. She also holds the invited positions of Academic Honorary Curator of Graeco-Roman Egypt at the Manchester Museum, as well as the Tipton Distinguished Visiting Chair in Catholic Studies (Department of Religious Studies) at UC Santa Barbara. Roberta is on the editorial board for Studies in Late Antiquity, a journal that focuses on the intersection of and interconnectedness between different regions of the ancient world. In addition to her positions, Roberta has published extensively on the ethics of papyrology and the intersection of academia and the illegal papyrus trade. Roberta and her research feature in the BBC radio 4 program and now podcast Word of God, the tangled story of a Christian billionaire family, stolen relics, fake treasures and the scholar-turned-sleuth who exposed the scandal of biblical proportions. Her new book, Stolen Fragments: Black Markets, Bad Faith, and the Illicit Trade in Ancient Artefacts was published in late 2024 by Stanford University Press.
Listen in, as Dr. Mazza discusses the antiquities trade, both past and present, and the ethics behind papyrology. She also delves into her first-hand experience with the illicit papyrus trade and the muddy waters of ‘discovery’.
Interested in more information? Check out these publications from Dr. Mazza.
Mazza, R. 2019. “Papyrology and Ethics“. In Proceedings of the 28th Congress of Papyrology (pp. 15–27).
Mazza, R. 2021. “Descriptions and the Materiality of Texts.” Qualitative Research 21(3): 376–393.
Mazza, R. 2022. “Narratives of Discovery: Petrie, Grenfell and Hunt, and the First Finding of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri.” The Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 59: 221–258.
Mazza, R. 2024. Stolen Fragments: Black Markets, Bad Faith, and the Illicit Trade in Ancient Artefacts. Stanford University Press.
Looking for a transcript of this episode? Click here.
Academic Publications
Azoulay, A. A. Potential History: Unlearning Imperialism. London: Verso Books, 2019.
Gerstenblith, P. Cultural Objects and Reparative Justice: A Legal and Historical Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024.
Joy, C.. Heritage Justice. of Elements in Critical Heritage Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Mazza, R. “Performing Papyrology: Cartonnage, Discovery and Provenance.” In Variant Scholarship: Ancient Texts in Modern Contexts, edited by N. Brodie, M. M. Kersel, and J. M. Rasmussen, 59-77. Leiden: Sidestone Press, 2023.
Nongbri, B. “The Ethics of Publication: Papyrology – Bryn Mawr Classical Review.” Bryn Mawr Classical Review, May 25, 2022.
Prinkey, K. “Cultural Colonialism at the Museum of the Bible: Have They Found Redemption?” Part One. The Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture, January 21, 2022.
“Resolutions.” The American Society of Papyrologists, January 15, 2021.
Open Access Resources
Kutner, M. B. “Hobby Lobby’s Museum of the Bible Steals; Does It Also Lie?” EIDOLON, May 3, 2018.
Barajas, J. “3,800 Artifacts Once Bought by Hobby Lobby Were Just Returned to Iraq.” PBS, May 3, 2018.
Gad, U. A. “Papyrology and Eurocentrism, Partners in Crime.” Medium. EIDOLON, November 8, 2019.
Manchester Museum. “Golden Mummies – Manchester Museum.” Manchester Museum, n.d.
Lewis, B., host. Intrigue: Word of God, podcast, 2025.
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