Ancient Texts as "Fossils": How They Survive

"Through the ages, ancient texts have survived wars, fires, theft, and neglect.

But so far scholars have only been able to draw upon anecdotal evidence to estimate how many handwritten texts created before the advent of the printing press in the 15th century have survived.

A new study, however, uses population biology to calculate the likelihood that an ancient text has survived from the eighth or ninth century to the present..." Read More

link courtesy of the apparently and unfortunately defunct Reading Room