About us

The Raphael Taubenschlag Foundation was created in 2001. From the beginning, its goal was to work towards the development of papyrological studies at the University of Warsaw and to create favourable conditions for the cooperation with academic centres in Poland and abroad. The Foundation owes its name to Raphael Taubenschlag, a professor of Roman law and papyrology, and one of the founding fathers of Warsaw papyrology after World War II. In 1946, Taubenschlag established the Journal of Juristic Papyrology in collaboration with Jerzy Manteuffel. He was also a teacher of a number of oustanding papyrologists and legal historians.

The publishing of the Journal of Juristic Papyrology and its Supplements is a key part of our mission. So far, over thirty volumes of JJP Supplements have been published, covering a wide range of subjects such as papyrology, legal history and Nubian studies, but also Church history, ancient topography, or environmental history. The series welcomes publications devoted to every possible aspect of studies in antiquity. Another high-priority goal of the Foundation is the dissemination of high-quality scientific research. As part of this endeavour, the JJP volumes have already been made accessible online, and further work is in progress to make all the Supplements available in open access.

The scope of our activities extends well beyond the publication of the JJP and its Supplements. In 2013, the Foundation co-organized the 27th International Congress of Papyrology in Warsaw. In 2013–14, it oversaw a major project of conservation of the papyri in the custody of the University of Warsaw. The Foundation also supports international cooperation with a number of scientific centres, such as the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, whose students regularly arrive to Warsaw as interns since 2015.

The Foundation is run by scholars from the Chair of Roman Law and the Law of Antiquity at the Faculty of Law and Administration, and the Department of Papyrology at the Institute of Archaeology. The strong connection of the Foundation—and of Warsaw papyrology in general—with legal history is part of the legacy of Raphael Taubenschlag.

President of the Foundation:
Ewa Wipszycka-Bravo

Board:
Adam Łajtar
Tomasz Derda
Jakub Urbanik
Maria Nowak
Marzena Wojtczak