DOI Artikel:
Kenyon, Frederic George: Progress of Egyptology: graeco-roman Egypt
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12051#0072
60
Progress of Egyptology,
the precautions taken against the falsification of contracts in Graeco-
Eoman times, arguing incidentally (from actual experiments) that it was
easy to wash out the writing on papyrus without damaging the surface.
In graceful acknowledgment of the compliment paid to him in the
volume just described, Prof. Nicole has printed16 and circulated a text
more curious and unique in its character than any of those offered to
him. The recto of the papyrus, indeed, contains nothing more remarkable
than a portion of a land-register, in Greek, of the 2nd century ; but on the
verso is a Latin text of 30 lines (besides some smaller fragments), which
is evidently a catalogue of works of art, including both statues and bas-
reliefs. The papyrus is lamentably mutilated, but the following names,
among others, can be read or plausibly restored: a Hercules by Glycon
(i.e. the Parnese Hercules), an infant Bacchus, a Saturn by Nauclerus,
a bas-relief (apparently) representing the legend of Isis and Osiris, a
Libertas by Daiphron, and several other deities. It is impossible to say
what is the history of this collection of statuary, and, as so often happens
with papyrus fragments, the actual result is tantalizing rather than
instructive; but it is undoubtedly interesting, and (since the Latin text
can be approximately dated from the Greek on the recto) it is also
palaeographically valuable. Prof. Nicole publishes a facsimile, but not
very much of the text is legible on it.
M. Seymour de Bieci,17 in addition to a report on his recent mission
to Egypt and on the papyri (demotic, Greek, and Coptic) purchased there
by him for the Academie des Inscriptions, has published two inscriptions
at Alexandria, and a papyrus containing on its recto an official letter
from the epistrategus of the Thebaid to the strategus of the Lycopolite
nome in a.d. 159, and on its verso part of a report of a debate in the
Senate of Antinoopolis, containing the interesting statement that this
foundation of Hadrian was administered under the same laws as Naucratis,
with the additional privilege of the right of intermarriage with Egyptians.
Several of the papyri purchased by M. de Eicci come from Lycopolis, a
new source for such discoveries.
The sixth volume of Wessely's Studien is given up to work by Dr.
Cronert on the Herculaneum papyri; but it includes the publication
(with specimen facsimiles) by MM. Jouguet and Perdrizet1S of a school-
boy's exercise-book from Egypt, containing alphabetical lists of words,
anecdotes of Diogenes, aphoristic verses, and 11. 1-13 of the prologue
to the Fables of Babrius, in a form different from, and perhaps superior
to, that of the Athos MS.
Two treatises which exceed the size of articles, and amount to
Progress of Egyptology,
the precautions taken against the falsification of contracts in Graeco-
Eoman times, arguing incidentally (from actual experiments) that it was
easy to wash out the writing on papyrus without damaging the surface.
In graceful acknowledgment of the compliment paid to him in the
volume just described, Prof. Nicole has printed16 and circulated a text
more curious and unique in its character than any of those offered to
him. The recto of the papyrus, indeed, contains nothing more remarkable
than a portion of a land-register, in Greek, of the 2nd century ; but on the
verso is a Latin text of 30 lines (besides some smaller fragments), which
is evidently a catalogue of works of art, including both statues and bas-
reliefs. The papyrus is lamentably mutilated, but the following names,
among others, can be read or plausibly restored: a Hercules by Glycon
(i.e. the Parnese Hercules), an infant Bacchus, a Saturn by Nauclerus,
a bas-relief (apparently) representing the legend of Isis and Osiris, a
Libertas by Daiphron, and several other deities. It is impossible to say
what is the history of this collection of statuary, and, as so often happens
with papyrus fragments, the actual result is tantalizing rather than
instructive; but it is undoubtedly interesting, and (since the Latin text
can be approximately dated from the Greek on the recto) it is also
palaeographically valuable. Prof. Nicole publishes a facsimile, but not
very much of the text is legible on it.
M. Seymour de Bieci,17 in addition to a report on his recent mission
to Egypt and on the papyri (demotic, Greek, and Coptic) purchased there
by him for the Academie des Inscriptions, has published two inscriptions
at Alexandria, and a papyrus containing on its recto an official letter
from the epistrategus of the Thebaid to the strategus of the Lycopolite
nome in a.d. 159, and on its verso part of a report of a debate in the
Senate of Antinoopolis, containing the interesting statement that this
foundation of Hadrian was administered under the same laws as Naucratis,
with the additional privilege of the right of intermarriage with Egyptians.
Several of the papyri purchased by M. de Eicci come from Lycopolis, a
new source for such discoveries.
The sixth volume of Wessely's Studien is given up to work by Dr.
Cronert on the Herculaneum papyri; but it includes the publication
(with specimen facsimiles) by MM. Jouguet and Perdrizet1S of a school-
boy's exercise-book from Egypt, containing alphabetical lists of words,
anecdotes of Diogenes, aphoristic verses, and 11. 1-13 of the prologue
to the Fables of Babrius, in a form different from, and perhaps superior
to, that of the Athos MS.
Two treatises which exceed the size of articles, and amount to