Stolen Fragments - by Roberta Mazza (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In 2012, Steve Green, billionaire and president of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores, announced a recent purchase of a Biblical artefact - a fragment of papyrus, just discovered, carrying lines from Paul's letter to the Romans, and dated to the second century CE. Noted scholar Roberta Mazza was stunned. When was this piece discovered, and how could Green acquire such a rare item? The answers, which Mazza spent the next ten years uncovering, came as a shock: the fragment had come from a famous collection held at Oxford University, and its rightful owners had no idea it had been sold. The letter to the Romans was not the only extraordinary piece in the Green collection. They soon announced newly recovered fragments from the Gospels and writings of Sappho. Mazza's quest to confirm the provenance of these priceless fragments revealed shadowy global networks that make big business of ancient manuscripts, from the Greens' Museum of the Bible and world-famous auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's, to antique shops in Jerusalem and Istanbul, dealers on eBay, and into the collections of renowned museums and universities. Mazza's investigation forces us to ask what happens when the supposed custodians of our ancient heritage act in ways that threaten to destroy it. Stolen Fragments illuminates how these recent dealings are not isolated events, but the inevitable result of longstanding colonial practices and the outcome of generations of scholars who have profited from extracting the cultural heritage of places they claim they wish to preserve. Where is the boundary between protection and exploitation, between scholarship and larceny?"--

Book Synopsis

In 2012, Steve Green, billionaire and president of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores, announced a recent purchase of a Biblical artefact--a fragment of papyrus, just discovered, carrying lines from Paul's letter to the Romans, and dated to the second century CE. Noted scholar Roberta Mazza was stunned. When was this piece discovered, and how could Green acquire such a rare item? The answers, which Mazza spent the next ten years uncovering, came as a shock: the fragment had come from a famous collection held at Oxford University, and its rightful owners had no idea it had been sold.

The letter to the Romans was not the only extraordinary piece in the Green collection. They soon announced newly recovered fragments from the Gospels and writings of Sappho. Mazza's quest to confirm the provenance of these priceless fragments revealed shadowy global networks that make big business of ancient manuscripts, from the Greens' Museum of the Bible and world-famous auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's, to antique shops in Jerusalem and Istanbul, dealers on eBay, and into the collections of renowned museums and universities.

Mazza's investigation forces us to ask what happens when the supposed custodians of our ancient heritage act in ways that threaten to destroy it. Stolen Fragments illuminates how these recent dealings are not isolated events, but the inevitable result of longstanding colonial practices and the outcome of generations of scholars who have profited from extracting the cultural heritage of places they claim they wish to preserve. Where is the boundary between protection and exploitation, between scholarship and larceny?

Review Quotes

"Stolen Fragments remains highly engaging for non-experts, reading almost like a novel, though it is entirely a true story. It effectively introduces readers to the field of papyrology and the market for (illicit) manuscripts in an informative and accessible way. However, the book is equally valuable for academics, particularly those in forensic archaeology studying the antiquities trade; by naming a range of dealers and scholars involved in this illicit market, it enables researchers to draw connections with trafficking networks dealing in different types of antiquities and to analyze the common strategies used to sell our shared--but stolen--cultural heritage across borders, often with deliberately incomplete or falsified collecting histories." --Christos Tsirogiannis, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"As someone with inside knowledge of New Testament papyrology, Ms. Mazza is rightly incensed. [P]erhaps her greatest anger is reserved for members of her own profession who published unprovenanced Green papyri in pursuit of academic glory." --Hugh Eakin, Wall Street Journal

"For anyone interested in ancient art history, archaeological finds, early texts and how these come to market, this book is necessary reading.... Mazza has managed to dedicate herself to her academic career while using every available moment to monitor and document the stratagems and deceits associated with this corner of the antiquities market." --Eleni Vassilika, Society for the History of Collecting Newsletter

"For those of us committed to upholding the integrity of the antiquities trade and ensuring that cultural heritage is protected for future generations, Stolen Fragments reinforces the need for greater diligence in combating the illicit trade and serves as a call to action for stronger legal and ethical standards." --Liz Fraccaro, Egyptian Archaeology

"Imagine Janet Malcolm, known for forensic takedowns of journalism and biography, had been a trained papyrologist--able to decipher bits of ancient writing, sometimes no larger than a postage stamp--determined to expose the unethical and sometimes illegal trade in ancient writings that has been going on ever since the first excavations in Egypt and other sites. This gives you some idea about Roberta Mazza's gripping and insightful book." --Carl Rollyson, New York Sun

"In many ways, the events documented in Stolen Fragments feel like a true-crime drama. We encounter an impossibly complex network (even for insiders!) of individuals, institutions, artifacts, motivations, and points of view. We know the outcome.... But that outcome is not really the point. It is rather the way in which Mazza depicts the events in all their perplexing detail that makes this story so compelling." --Gregory Fewster, Review of Biblical Literature

"The book intervenes forcefully in current debates on cultural heritage and will resonate with both academic and nonspecialist audiences.... Stolen Fragments demands attention from anyone engaged in research on cultural heritage." --Jie Hao, H-Material-Culture

"Stolen Fragments is at once scrupulously researched and cinematic, reading like a proper detective story but with a renowned scholar as the lead investigator and our guide to the murky world of papyrus hunters. This is the definitive book on the multifaceted mummy-liquefying soap opera, starring the Museum of the Bible and a Dickensian cast of always quirky and often shady characters. Roberta Mazza is a rock star of this field, and her book sings with brilliance." --Noah Charney, author of The Thefts of the Mona Lisa: The Complete Story of the World's Most Famous Artwork

"Roberta Mazza brings us along as she cuts through the lies and evasions of the collectors who seek to manipulate the past with stolen cultural goods. A dark academia mystery come to life, Stolen Fragments weaves together a history of cultural treasures, with stories about just how poorly we've treated our inheritance." --Erin Thompson, author of Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments

"Roberta Mazza charts the murky, tangled webs of the antiquities trade, raising complex ethical questions about the market in ancient papyri. Stolen Fragments is a compelling account of how and why papyrology has been so easily swept into the illicit global trade in ancient objects." --William Carruthers, author of Flooded Pasts: UNESCO, Nubia, and the Recolonization of Archaeology

"Roberta Mazza has given voice to the thousands of papyri stolen from Egypt, a crime whitewashed under a pretext of scholarship. Her book is a harrowing read as it depicts the violation of a rich cultural heritage, and serves as crucial testimony against those who were complicit and, worse, turned a blind eye. A masterpiece." --Monica Hanna, author of The Future of Egyptology

"Roberta Mazza's book is a revelation, and a romp: an entertaining and infuriating account of the illicit trade in papyri, a blistering expose of the dealers, scholars, museums, and auction houses among whom Mazza has lived and worked. Her diligence, bravery, and wit are all on full display." --Joel Baden, author of The Book of Exodus: A Biography

"Roberta Mazza's investigation was, in and of itself, a stunning feat, comprising thousands of hours and bringing on risks, including physical threats, that would be enough to deter many other people. Stolen Fragments is a record of that work; it reveals industry secrets, draws attention to the importance of preserving human history, and speaks to the necessity of honesty." --Nick Gardner, Foreword

About the Author

Roberta Mazza is Associate Professor of Papyrology at the University of Bologna. She previously held positions at the University of Manchester, where she was honorary curator of the Manchester Museum, and at the University of California, Berkeley.