There's a hint: "see https://www.scribus.net/category/about/"
... but that doesn't answer the question.
a few years ago, i did some research and the oldest trace i could find is version 0.2 on april 23. 2001.
sadly, i could not retrieve the source code for version 0.2.
if somebody has it around, i would be delighted to add it to my repository : - )
... if you want to know more, i can share the repository... but it's not much more than a collection of resources. somehow sorted by version / date.
p.s.: here is a screenshot of scribus 0.2
(https://forums.scribus.net/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=4612;image)
The correct URL is https://www.scribus.net/about/. I have updated the question in forum settings now
Thanks!