DOI Artikel:
Kenyon, Frederic George: Progress of Egyptology: graeco-roman Egypt
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11172#0053
Graeco-Soman Egypt.
39
B.—GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT.
The past year is free from the charge of barrenness which was brought
against its predecessor in my last report. Though not marked by
the reappearance of any lost author,—a happiness which must not be
expected every year,—it has produced a good crop of papyri, and
has been exceptionally prolific in publications dealing with them and
with kindred subjects. Among publications of texts, which take the first
place in this report, precedence must be given to the second volume of the
Oxyrhynohus Papyri, which appeared [asl autumn.1 Though with.nil the
sensational elements of the first volume, it is fully equal to it in general
interest; and it goes almost without saying that the editorial work has
been most soundly and efficiently performed by Messrs. Grenfell and Bunt,
with some assistance (as before) in respect of the literary texts from
Prof. Blass. Of the newJiterary fragments, by far the most important is a
column of fifty-one lines from the Jl£pLict:ipQ/j,ein) (" The Shorn Lady," or,
more freely, " The Eape of the Lock ") of Menander, which is a welcome
addition to our knowledge of the great comic poet. The others include a
_fragment of the Old Comedy, perhaps Aristophanes, a fragment of_tragedy,
perhaps the Niobe of Sophocles, and a fragment of Alexandrian epic,
relating to Telephus. The quasi-literary texts are more extensive,
including a treatise on metre, with several quotations from unknown lyric
poems, an important collection of scholia on the 21st book of the Iliad, and
a list of victors at the Olympian games of b.c. 480-408 and 456-448, of
exceptional value for its evidence on the chronology of Pindar and
Bacchylides. The papyri of authors already known include a long MS. of
_lLonier (Iliad, book v.), and small fragments of Euripides, Thucydidcs,
Xenophon, Plato, and Demosthenes, of more palaeographical than textual
importance. Finally, the non-literary texts (with the exception of the
" Petition of Dionysia " of a d. 180, a very long document bristling with
points of interest for jurists_) belong exclusively to the first century after
Christ. Sixty-three such texts are printed in full, with commentary; and
the volume concludes with summary descriptions of a hundred additional
documents, mostly of the same type as those printed in full. These non-
literary papyri form an important addition to the many texts of the same
kind already published; and the notes of Messrs. Grenfell and Bunt (for
example, those on monetary matters and the census and its accompani-
ments) are valuable contributions to our growing knowledge of Soman
Egypt-
39
B.—GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT.
The past year is free from the charge of barrenness which was brought
against its predecessor in my last report. Though not marked by
the reappearance of any lost author,—a happiness which must not be
expected every year,—it has produced a good crop of papyri, and
has been exceptionally prolific in publications dealing with them and
with kindred subjects. Among publications of texts, which take the first
place in this report, precedence must be given to the second volume of the
Oxyrhynohus Papyri, which appeared [asl autumn.1 Though with.nil the
sensational elements of the first volume, it is fully equal to it in general
interest; and it goes almost without saying that the editorial work has
been most soundly and efficiently performed by Messrs. Grenfell and Bunt,
with some assistance (as before) in respect of the literary texts from
Prof. Blass. Of the newJiterary fragments, by far the most important is a
column of fifty-one lines from the Jl£pLict:ipQ/j,ein) (" The Shorn Lady," or,
more freely, " The Eape of the Lock ") of Menander, which is a welcome
addition to our knowledge of the great comic poet. The others include a
_fragment of the Old Comedy, perhaps Aristophanes, a fragment of_tragedy,
perhaps the Niobe of Sophocles, and a fragment of Alexandrian epic,
relating to Telephus. The quasi-literary texts are more extensive,
including a treatise on metre, with several quotations from unknown lyric
poems, an important collection of scholia on the 21st book of the Iliad, and
a list of victors at the Olympian games of b.c. 480-408 and 456-448, of
exceptional value for its evidence on the chronology of Pindar and
Bacchylides. The papyri of authors already known include a long MS. of
_lLonier (Iliad, book v.), and small fragments of Euripides, Thucydidcs,
Xenophon, Plato, and Demosthenes, of more palaeographical than textual
importance. Finally, the non-literary texts (with the exception of the
" Petition of Dionysia " of a d. 180, a very long document bristling with
points of interest for jurists_) belong exclusively to the first century after
Christ. Sixty-three such texts are printed in full, with commentary; and
the volume concludes with summary descriptions of a hundred additional
documents, mostly of the same type as those printed in full. These non-
literary papyri form an important addition to the many texts of the same
kind already published; and the notes of Messrs. Grenfell and Bunt (for
example, those on monetary matters and the census and its accompani-
ments) are valuable contributions to our growing knowledge of Soman
Egypt-