A newly discovered fragment of lost ancient Greek verses is giving scholars fresh evidence that the philosopher Empedocles influenced the Roman poet Lucretius in ideas as well as literary style.
Belgian philologist Nathan Carlig found the papyrus fragment at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo. It contains previously unknown verses by Empedocles from “On Nature,” a philosophical poem written in the fifth century B.C.
The fragment survived in two damaged columns
Carlig published the first edition of the fragment in April with Alain Martin and Oliver Primavesi. The text is badly damaged. Only the beginnings and ends of lines written in hexameter survive from two columns.
Despite the gaps, researchers identified the subject by comparing the verses with later accounts of Empedocles’ philosophy, including those of Plato. The passage concerns his theory of “effluents and pores.”
Empedocles sought to explain human perception
Empedocles believed objects release tiny streams, or effluents, of the elements they contain. He used the idea to help explain how humans perceive the world.
According to his theory, sensory organs contain pores that admit particles of particular sizes and shapes. Particles that do not fit cannot produce the same sensory response. The theory sought to explain why different senses perceive different things — why people can see colors, for example, but cannot taste them.
Researchers find parallels in Roman poem
The fragment has now helped researchers uncover a broader literary connection. Frankfurt classical philologists Hans Bernsdorff and Julian Kaiser compared its context with a longer passage in Lucretius’ “De Rerum Natura,” or “On the Nature of Things,” written in the first century B.C.
A few damaged lines of ancient Greek poetry may have solved a centuries-old literary mystery.
A newly discovered fragment of Empedocles reveals that Roman poet Lucretius borrowed not just his poetic style but also his ideas about how nature works. pic.twitter.com/mP6nYch41g
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) September 8, 2026
They identified linguistic, thematic, and structural parallels between the works. In Lucretius’ poem, the theory involving particles and pores also forms the basis for a discussion of physical phenomena, including magnetism and cohesion.
Scholars already knew Lucretius used elements of Empedocles’ ideas. But because so little of Empedocles’ original poetry survives, they could not determine how closely Lucretius followed him across a longer passage.
Discovery adds evidence to an old debate
The new fragment provides evidence that the relationship went beyond poetic style. Scholars have long debated why Lucretius praised Empedocles despite following the different philosophy of Epicurus. Lucretius even rejected parts of Empedocles’ thought, including his theory of the elements.
Some scholars have viewed Empedocles mainly as a literary model for Lucretius. Others have argued that Lucretius also adapted his philosophical ideas when they suited his own work. Bernsdorff and Kaiser’s findings strengthen the second interpretation. Their parallels suggest Lucretius followed Empedocles not only in form but also, where possible, in content.
The discovery also shows how recovered ancient Greek papyri can reshape scholars’ understanding of works written centuries later.
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