Calendar

Loading Events

Recovering Erased Texts in the World’s Oldest Library.

St. Catherine’s Monastery of the Sinai, though isolated in the rugged interior of the Sinai Peninsula, has been a destination for dauntless pilgrims and travelers since the fourth century. Throughout seventeen centuries it has maintained an unbroken spiritual heritage, and today is a place of peace between Christians and Muslims.

The Monastery’s library, one of the world’s oldest, preserves manuscripts dating from the 4th to the 19th century. Among its treasures are numerous palimpsests, that is, manuscripts written on recycled parchment where an older layer of writing has been erased. The prospect of discovering unknown ancient texts among the erased layers of palimpsests brought scholars to the Monastery beginning in the late 19th century. Though they made every effort to read the erased texts, some texts seemed lost forever.

Beginning in 2011, the Monastery worked with a team of scientists and scholars assembled by the Early Manuscripts Electronic Library (EMEL) to use multi-spectral imaging to render the erased texts legible. To date, the team has recovered more than 300 erased texts. They are written in ten languages and range in date from the 5th to the 12th century. The recovered texts include previously unknown Christian, Jewish and classical texts, notably lost works of ancient science, philosophy and mythology. The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) is hosting the results of the project online as part of a digital library of the Monastery’s palimpsests – sinai.library.ucla.edu.

 

 

schedule
7:00 pm Stream Starts
7:05 pm Introduction
7:15 pm Live Feed from Sinai
8:15 pm Q&A
Speakers

Father Justin Sinaites

Librarian of St. Catherine’s Monastery of Sinai, who oversaw the application of multi-spectral imaging to the Monastery’s fragile palimpsests

Damianos Kasotakis

EMEL Director of Imaging, who operated the sophisticated spectral imaging system, and overcame the many challenges presented by the remote, desert location

Michael Phelps

EMEL Executive Director, who developed and guided the project
September 13,2021
September 13, 2021
7:00 pm ET
7:00 pm ET
Father Justin Sinaites, Damianos Kasotakis, and Michael Phelps
Father Justin Sinaites, Damianos Kasotakis, and Michael Phelps
Explorers Club Headquarters, 46 E 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021
Explorers Club Headquarters, 46 E 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021
The Sinai Palimpsests Project Click here to purchase tickets

more

See our upcoming events

Jun. 05
World Oceans Week – Monday

Kick off our 7th annual World Oceans Week with an evening celebrating the resilience of some of our ocean's most…

Jun. 06
WORLD OCEANS WEEK – TUESDAY

Join us for Tuesday of World Oceans Week to celebrate the conservation successes of species and ecosystems across the globe.…

Jun. 07
WORLD OCEANS WEEK – WEDNESDAY

Head to the Club on Wednesday of World Oceans Week for two events about changing the way we interact with…

All Day
Jun. 08
Celebrate World Oceans Day!

While Club Headquarters will be closed on Thursday, June 8, in observance of World Oceans Day at the UN, we…

Jun. 09
Shinnecock Bay: Up Close and Personal

Head to the field to explore the beauty and significance of Shinnecock Bay, with special guest “Her Deepness” Dr. Sylvia…

Jun. 10
108 years below ice: Discovering Shackleton’s Endurance

Closing out World Oceans Week, The Explorers Club is hosting a special and captivating event with the team from the…

4:30 PM
Jun. 14
GLEX Summit 2023

We are delighted to once again invite you to The Explorers Club's GLEX Summit on Terciera Island in the Azores,…

Jun. 19
CLUB CLOSED – JUNETEENTH

The Explorers Club Headquarters will be closed for Juneteenth in the United States. We will resume regular operating hours on…

Jun. 21
Battle of Ink and Ice

Join The Explorers Club on Wednesday, June 21st to hear Darrell Hartman discuss his new book, Battle of Ink and Ice,…

6:00 PM
Darrell Hartman
Jun. 22
WILD in New York

Join us on Thursday, June 22nd for an evening films and talks highlighting stories of what's "WILD" in New York! Brought…

Jul. 04
Club Closed – Independence Day

The Explorers Club Headquarters will be closed for Independence Day in the United States on Tuesday, July 4th. We will…

Sep. 28
Exposure

"Exposure" follows eleven novice women explorers, from the Arab World and the West, embark on a physically and emotionally demanding…

6:00 PM
Jun. 05
World Oceans Week – Monday

Kick off our 7th annual World Oceans Week with an evening celebrating the resilience of some of our ocean's most…

Jun. 06
WORLD OCEANS WEEK – TUESDAY

Join us for Tuesday of World Oceans Week to celebrate the conservation successes of species and ecosystems across the globe.…

Jun. 07
WORLD OCEANS WEEK – WEDNESDAY

Head to the Club on Wednesday of World Oceans Week for two events about changing the way we interact with…

All Day
Jun. 08
Celebrate World Oceans Day!

While Club Headquarters will be closed on Thursday, June 8, in observance of World Oceans Day at the UN, we…

Jun. 09
Shinnecock Bay: Up Close and Personal

Head to the field to explore the beauty and significance of Shinnecock Bay, with special guest “Her Deepness” Dr. Sylvia…

Jun. 10
108 years below ice: Discovering Shackleton’s Endurance

Closing out World Oceans Week, The Explorers Club is hosting a special and captivating event with the team from the…

4:30 PM
Jun. 14
GLEX Summit 2023

We are delighted to once again invite you to The Explorers Club's GLEX Summit on Terciera Island in the Azores,…

Jun. 19
CLUB CLOSED – JUNETEENTH

The Explorers Club Headquarters will be closed for Juneteenth in the United States. We will resume regular operating hours on…

Jun. 21
Battle of Ink and Ice

Join The Explorers Club on Wednesday, June 21st to hear Darrell Hartman discuss his new book, Battle of Ink and Ice,…

6:00 PM
Darrell Hartman
Jun. 22
WILD in New York

Join us on Thursday, June 22nd for an evening films and talks highlighting stories of what's "WILD" in New York! Brought…

Jul. 04
Club Closed – Independence Day

The Explorers Club Headquarters will be closed for Independence Day in the United States on Tuesday, July 4th. We will…

Sep. 28
Exposure

"Exposure" follows eleven novice women explorers, from the Arab World and the West, embark on a physically and emotionally demanding…

6:00 PM
Jun. 05
World Oceans Week – Monday

Kick off our 7th annual World Oceans Week with an evening celebrating the resilience of some of our ocean's most…

Jun. 06
WORLD OCEANS WEEK – TUESDAY

Join us for Tuesday of World Oceans Week to celebrate the conservation successes of species and ecosystems across the globe.…

Jun. 07
WORLD OCEANS WEEK – WEDNESDAY

Head to the Club on Wednesday of World Oceans Week for two events about changing the way we interact with…

All Day
Jun. 08
Celebrate World Oceans Day!

While Club Headquarters will be closed on Thursday, June 8, in observance of World Oceans Day at the UN, we…

Jun. 09
Shinnecock Bay: Up Close and Personal

Head to the field to explore the beauty and significance of Shinnecock Bay, with special guest “Her Deepness” Dr. Sylvia…

Jun. 10
108 years below ice: Discovering Shackleton’s Endurance

Closing out World Oceans Week, The Explorers Club is hosting a special and captivating event with the team from the…

4:30 PM
Jun. 14
GLEX Summit 2023

We are delighted to once again invite you to The Explorers Club's GLEX Summit on Terciera Island in the Azores,…

Jun. 19
CLUB CLOSED – JUNETEENTH

The Explorers Club Headquarters will be closed for Juneteenth in the United States. We will resume regular operating hours on…

Jun. 21
Battle of Ink and Ice

Join The Explorers Club on Wednesday, June 21st to hear Darrell Hartman discuss his new book, Battle of Ink and Ice,…

6:00 PM
Darrell Hartman
Jun. 22
WILD in New York

Join us on Thursday, June 22nd for an evening films and talks highlighting stories of what's "WILD" in New York! Brought…

Jul. 04
Club Closed – Independence Day

The Explorers Club Headquarters will be closed for Independence Day in the United States on Tuesday, July 4th. We will…

Sep. 28
Exposure

"Exposure" follows eleven novice women explorers, from the Arab World and the West, embark on a physically and emotionally demanding…

6:00 PM
Members only Event for members only