DOI Artikel:
Kenyon, Frederic George: Progress of Egyptology: graeco-roman Egypt, 1902-1903
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12052#0055
42
Progress of Egyptology.
wholly different, that the smallest copper coin in actual use was in fact a
5-drachma piece, that certain extant copper coins marked with the
characters Fl and M are really coins of 80 and 40 drachmae, which (calcu-
lating from the above-stated ratio of value between silver and copper
drachmae) would make the real ratio of value between the metals approxi-
mate to 30 : 1. These conclusions are avowedly not absolutely established
yet, but they make a coherent theory which numismatists will have to
consider and students of papyri to bear in mind when they come across any
further evidence bearing on the subject.
Nine facsimile plates accompany the volume, and serve to give some idea
of the difficulties of decipherment presented by these papyri, especially
when it is remembered that they are necessarily taken from favorirable
specimens, and that many of the papyri are in very bad condition.
Nevertheless the volume has every appearance of coming fully up to the
high standard of accuracy previously attained by Messrs. G-renfell and Hunt.
They have been concerned (and will be concerned again) in more sensational
and generally interesting publications than this ; but it may be doubted
whether even they have ever produced a volume demanding so much skill,
patience, and hard labour.
Ptolemaic papyri have had more than their share of attention during the
past year, for Part 11 of the Berlin publication 9 also contains texts of this
period, edited by Schubart, the decision having apparently been taken not
to reserve them for Prof. Wilcken's long-contemplated Corpus of Ptolemaic
papyri, although the Berlin Academy has lately made a grant in aid of this
latter project, which may consequently now be considered as within the
range of practical politics. The earliest of the documents here piublished
belong to the third century b.c.; but the majority of them are of the
latter part of the second century b.c., and belong to the large find of
Theban documents of this period, which are now divided among many
museums. No. 993 is interesting from the fact that the royal priesthoods,
instead of beino- located in Alexandria or Ptolemais, are said to be "in the
camp of the king," implying that the seat of government was at that time
(b.c. 127) to be found there. The document itself is a grant by a priest of
Isis to his daiighter of one-seventh (of the profits) of the 120 days of
purification (^epai ayvevriKal) in the year which belong to him. In the
description of No. 999 the editor remarks that the first part of the papyrus
is rolled up and fastened with a seal. Several other instances of this prac-
tice occur in this class of documents, and no doubt originally in all of them.
The sealed portion contains the docket, or brief summary of the contents
of the deed, which was regularly prefixed to the deed itself. The separate
Progress of Egyptology.
wholly different, that the smallest copper coin in actual use was in fact a
5-drachma piece, that certain extant copper coins marked with the
characters Fl and M are really coins of 80 and 40 drachmae, which (calcu-
lating from the above-stated ratio of value between silver and copper
drachmae) would make the real ratio of value between the metals approxi-
mate to 30 : 1. These conclusions are avowedly not absolutely established
yet, but they make a coherent theory which numismatists will have to
consider and students of papyri to bear in mind when they come across any
further evidence bearing on the subject.
Nine facsimile plates accompany the volume, and serve to give some idea
of the difficulties of decipherment presented by these papyri, especially
when it is remembered that they are necessarily taken from favorirable
specimens, and that many of the papyri are in very bad condition.
Nevertheless the volume has every appearance of coming fully up to the
high standard of accuracy previously attained by Messrs. G-renfell and Hunt.
They have been concerned (and will be concerned again) in more sensational
and generally interesting publications than this ; but it may be doubted
whether even they have ever produced a volume demanding so much skill,
patience, and hard labour.
Ptolemaic papyri have had more than their share of attention during the
past year, for Part 11 of the Berlin publication 9 also contains texts of this
period, edited by Schubart, the decision having apparently been taken not
to reserve them for Prof. Wilcken's long-contemplated Corpus of Ptolemaic
papyri, although the Berlin Academy has lately made a grant in aid of this
latter project, which may consequently now be considered as within the
range of practical politics. The earliest of the documents here piublished
belong to the third century b.c.; but the majority of them are of the
latter part of the second century b.c., and belong to the large find of
Theban documents of this period, which are now divided among many
museums. No. 993 is interesting from the fact that the royal priesthoods,
instead of beino- located in Alexandria or Ptolemais, are said to be "in the
camp of the king," implying that the seat of government was at that time
(b.c. 127) to be found there. The document itself is a grant by a priest of
Isis to his daiighter of one-seventh (of the profits) of the 120 days of
purification (^epai ayvevriKal) in the year which belong to him. In the
description of No. 999 the editor remarks that the first part of the papyrus
is rolled up and fastened with a seal. Several other instances of this prac-
tice occur in this class of documents, and no doubt originally in all of them.
The sealed portion contains the docket, or brief summary of the contents
of the deed, which was regularly prefixed to the deed itself. The separate