Only 13% of known ancient Greek authors left written fragments: loss is information's default state
literalbanana · x · 2026-10-20
Citing Samo Burja, the author notes only 13% of the 2,000 ancient Greek authors we know by name left written fragments — excluding vast tacit knowledge never written down. Loss is the normal state of information; preservation requires an unbroken chain of people and institutions who find it worth preserving, publishing, translating and discussing, or rare lucky finds to repair gaps. The thread asks how many breakthroughs civilizations discovered, lost, and rediscovered — and whether reinvention is itself the point.
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