Bernard Pyne Grenfell

Bernard Pyne Grenfell FBA (16 December 1869 – 18 May 1926) was an English scientist and egyptologist. Excavations he did with Arthur Surridge Hunt uncovered manuscripts including the oldest Oxyrhynchus Papyri.

Life

Grenfell was the son of John Granville Grenfell FGS and Alice Grenfell. He was born in Birmingham and brought up and educated at Clifton College in Bristol, where his father taught. He obtained a scholarship in 1888 and enrolled at The Queen's College, Oxford.

With his friend and colleague, Arthur Surridge Hunt, he took part in the archaeological dig of Oxyrhynchus and discovered many ancient manuscripts known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, including some of the oldest known copies of the New Testament and the Septuagint. Other notable finds are extensive, including previously unknown works by known classical authors. The majority of the find consists of thousands of documentary texts. Parabiblical material, such as copies of the "Logia (words) of Jesus" were also found.

In 1895, Grenfell and Hunt were the first archaeologists to explore the site of Karanis (present Kom Aushim) in Fayum.

His mother, Alice Grenfell, lived with him after his father died in 1897. She took a great interest in Egyptian scarab-shaped artefacts and taught herself to read hieroglyphics. She published her own papers and a catalogue of the scarab collection belonging to The Queen's College.

Publications