Because chemical tests of its ink have not yet been done , the papyrus could still be challenged on the basis of its authenticity , though independent experts have given their support based on other benchmarks .
The scribe 's dialect and style of handwriting , and the colour and texture of the papyrus , helped them to date it to the second half of the fourth century ad and place its probable origin in upper egypt .
Visitors to ancient lives are given an image of a piece of greek-scrawled papyrus , broken and indistinct , and then use a suite of tools to mark , identify , and measure the text they find .