A drawing of an elephant, a letter from a newly enlisted soldier to his mother and pages of the oldest manuscript with letters of St. Paul, all 2,000 years old or more, will be on display in a new exhibit.

The Hatcher Graduate Library will display “From Trace to Text: Highlights from the U-M Papyrus Collection” Sept. 22-Dec. 22 in the library’s Audubon Room.

In its 90-year history, the Papyrus Collection has trained more students and scholars in the field of papyrology than any other institution in North America. Founded by Francis Kelsey, the collection has been the training ground for papyrologists from around the world and home to many great resident scholars, such as Herbert and Louise Youtie, Ludwig Koenen and Traianos Gagos, who died April 26.

This exhibit provides a behind-the-scenes look at the work of papyrologists: how they conserve scraps of often badly damaged papyri, decipher traces of ink, read and translate the resulting text, edit and interpret its contents, and make their work available to both scholars and the general public.

Modern technology, such as digitization and multi-spectral imaging, is aiding papyrologists in these efforts. Papyrology is a highly specialized and technical field, requiring intensive training in language (Egyptian, ancient Greek, Latin, Arabic), history and the skills necessary for reading original documents.

The exhibit is presented from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 1-7 p.m. Sunday.