Resolves YES if there is strong evidence that a substantial ancient manuscript copy of Pytheas of Massalia’s On the Ocean is discovered before January 1st 2050. For resolution purposes, the manuscript must contain a meaningful continuous portion of Pytheas’s original work, rather than merely quotations, paraphrases, summaries, or references preserved in another author.

A discovery qualifies if the manuscript, or manuscript fragments belonging to the same copy, preserves enough text to substantially expand modern knowledge of On the Ocean. As a guideline, this should mean at least roughly 1,000 words of recoverable Greek text attributable to Pytheas, or an equivalently substantial portion whose significance is broadly recognized by relevant specialists. Multiple fragments may be combined if there is strong scholarly evidence that they derive from the same ancient manuscript.

The manuscript must be ancient, meaning that the physical copy is credibly dated to antiquity, generally no later than the 6th century CE. A later medieval or modern copy does not qualify, even if it preserves otherwise unknown text.

The identification need not be absolutely certain, but there must be strong scholarly evidence that the recovered text represents Pytheas’s On the Ocean. Appropriate evidence may include papyrological or paleographical analysis, textual parallels with known quotations of Pytheas, linguistic and historical evidence, provenance, scientific dating, and a substantial consensus among relevant experts.

The discovery date is the date by which sufficient evidence of the manuscript and its identification has become publicly available, whether through a peer-reviewed publication, an official announcement by a credible academic or cultural institution, or other documentation strong enough to establish the discovery. A manuscript physically excavated before the deadline but not recognized or publicly documented as a substantial copy of On the Ocean until after January 1st 2050 does not qualify.

Resolves NO if no qualifying discovery meeting these criteria has been established by January 1st 2050. Disputes should be resolved according to the preponderance of evidence and the views of relevant specialists in classics, papyrology, ancient history, and manuscript studies.