The Orlando W. Qualley Papyrus Collection

Orlando W. “Pip” Qualley, professor of classics and vice president of Luther College, spent the 1924-25 academic year in Egypt. He was on the staff of an archaeological project of the University of Michigan at a site named Karanis, a city of the ancient Roman period. During that year he purchased for Luther nine ancient papyrus fragments from an antiquities dealer in Cairo for use in his teachings. In 2014, these papyri were rediscovered in his collection during a special cataloging initiative in the Luther College Archives.  The papyri underwent modern conservation at the University of Michigan and are now housed properly in glass and have been added to an international catalog of papyrus fragments.

• About Dr. Qualley
• Dr. Qualley's life at Luther
• Qualley's Work Log: 1924-1925 (.pdf)
• Conservation and Treatment
• The Papyrus Collection: Images
• More Resources