Greek
The non-biblical Greek papyri in the Chester Beatty Library form several distinct groups.
The first, containing Roman administrative documents from Panopolis (c. AD 298-300), was purchased by Chester Beatty as an almost blank codex. However, on conservation, it was found to contain a register of correspondence relating to the visit of Emperor Diocletian to Panopolis. This unique record from the period has provided historians with a wealth of information on Roman administrative practice.
The Library also holds more mundane documents from Panopolis, relating to private business affairs between individuals.
The second distinct group is the Merton Collection of Papyri, a collection of dated documents bequeathed to Chester Beatty in 1958 by his old friend and business partner, Wilfred Merton. These documents cover the minutiae of everyday life: letters to friends, contracts for business, marriage and child slavery and some literature.
For a sample of these documents see: The Merton Papyri Collection.
There are also a small number of uncatalogued Greek rolls in the Papyrus Collection, which are in the process of being edited.