Papyrus 3053

Papyrus 3053 (P. Oxy. 2470) is a papyrus fragment about 12.7 cm × 15.2 cm (5.0 in × 6.0 in) now kept in the British Library. It was probably made in Roman Egypt between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD.[1] It was found at Oxyrhynchus among other documents mostly of the 3rd century and was given to the library in 1962.[2] At the time, T. C. Skeat called it "a most notable addition to the very scanty remains of classical book-illustration".[3]

Papyrus 3053

The fragment is illustrated, but the only text is a fragment of a word or name in Greek letters in the upper left: ερσωις. The scene depicts a brown bear lunging at a person, only the legs of whom are visible. The background is neutral (uncoloured). The bear is painted in a lively fashion, with shadowing at its feet used to add depth. The light purple circle in the upper right is probably the cloth a circus performer was using to bait the bear. The feat depicted is probably the contomonobolon, a pole-assisted somersault over the back of the baited animal. The drawing was outlined in black before being coloured in, the usual method on papyrus.[1]