The Ancient Artefacts Collection contains a number of remarkable items from the University of British Columbia Library's Rare Books and Special Collections.

Two Greek papyrus, likely from Roman Egypt and dating from the second century AD, were donated to the UBC Library in 1932 from A.E.R. Boak from the University of Michigan. The first is an invitation for a Sarapis dinner, probably written in Oxyrhynchus (now Bahnasu0101). The second contains a fragmentary letter from an anonymous sender to her/his mother, promising to visit her and extending an invitation for her to visit.

Soon to be added are a small collection of cuneiform tablets discovered at Ur in Chaldea, and dating from 2456-2390 BCE.