DOI Artikel:
Grenfell, Bernard P.; Hunt, Arthur S.: Egypt Exploration Fund: graeco-roman branch - excavations at Oxyrhynchus
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12424#0023
GRAECO-BOMAN BRANCH.
9
From a small but rather deep mound, to the west of these two and on
the edge of the desert, we obtained some 3rd-5th century documents with
occasional literary fragments; but these too were in bad condition.
Underneath a corner of this mound was a brick vaulted tomb, probably
dating from about the second century, in which we found a number of
small glass vases of the usual types. A small isolated mound (Kom el
ahmar) at the north-east end of the site near the Bahr Yusuf, partly dug
by sebaJchin, produced some 3rd-5th century documents ; and in finishing
the clearance of a low mound in the centre of the site, most of which had
been excavated in previous seasons, we discovered a few 6th century Coptic
vellum fragments.
The excavations at Oxyrhynchus have now covered all the area which,
in our opinion, is worth exploration. The mounds containing lst-4th
century papyri, either up to the surface or underneath later accumulations,
have all been turned over, and even in the purely Byzantine mounds we
have only neglected those portions which had every appearance of being
unprofitable or contained numerous mediaeval graves. The extensive
excavations of the scbakMn show that the mounds near the village itself,
which we have not tried, were formed in the Arabic period between about
the seventh and fourteenth centuries, when Behnesa was still an important
town. Hence when we resume the work of excavation we look forward to
breaking fresh ground, probably with a view to the discovery of early
Ptolemaic papyri in mummy cartonnage. Unfortunately the financial
resources of the Graeco-Boman Branch are so nearly exhausted that it is
not practicable for us to excavate in Egypt during next winter. But we
hope that sufficient support will be forthcoming to render another
expedition possible in the winter of 1908-9.
The papyri, which fill 81 boxes, have, as usual, been sent to Oxford
for publication, and will be divided with the Cairo Museum subsequently.
Of the other objects found, which belong for the most part to the fifth
or sixtli century, few possess much interest. About 25 ostraca were
discovered, of which we append the text of ten. (1) 3rd cent. X0709
a\a/c( ) dyopacrOevTcov vtto 'A7ruovo<; ical Qcoviov rdpiya (1. rapfyuiv)
eTTTaKHT^iXbcov, tovtcov 7) Tifir) co? rail) €/ca,Tov (Spa^fial) vs, yepr/fiaTo?
o-^rapihiaiv rpiaKocrta (1. -leav) TrevTrf/covra a>? tojv eKarov Trevrai (1. -re),
eirpdOrj yepBuo ev rropcp rv(j)X(p u-^raplhia irevraKoaLa e/c Spa^fiojv KvSorjKovra
(1. 07S-). "Account ... of 7000 pickled fish bought by Apion and
Thonius, of these the price was at the rate of 56 drachmae per 100 ;
from the produce of 350 cakes at 5 dr. per 100, of these 500 were sold
to a weaver in a closed passage for 80 drachmae," (2) 5th cent.
9
From a small but rather deep mound, to the west of these two and on
the edge of the desert, we obtained some 3rd-5th century documents with
occasional literary fragments; but these too were in bad condition.
Underneath a corner of this mound was a brick vaulted tomb, probably
dating from about the second century, in which we found a number of
small glass vases of the usual types. A small isolated mound (Kom el
ahmar) at the north-east end of the site near the Bahr Yusuf, partly dug
by sebaJchin, produced some 3rd-5th century documents ; and in finishing
the clearance of a low mound in the centre of the site, most of which had
been excavated in previous seasons, we discovered a few 6th century Coptic
vellum fragments.
The excavations at Oxyrhynchus have now covered all the area which,
in our opinion, is worth exploration. The mounds containing lst-4th
century papyri, either up to the surface or underneath later accumulations,
have all been turned over, and even in the purely Byzantine mounds we
have only neglected those portions which had every appearance of being
unprofitable or contained numerous mediaeval graves. The extensive
excavations of the scbakMn show that the mounds near the village itself,
which we have not tried, were formed in the Arabic period between about
the seventh and fourteenth centuries, when Behnesa was still an important
town. Hence when we resume the work of excavation we look forward to
breaking fresh ground, probably with a view to the discovery of early
Ptolemaic papyri in mummy cartonnage. Unfortunately the financial
resources of the Graeco-Boman Branch are so nearly exhausted that it is
not practicable for us to excavate in Egypt during next winter. But we
hope that sufficient support will be forthcoming to render another
expedition possible in the winter of 1908-9.
The papyri, which fill 81 boxes, have, as usual, been sent to Oxford
for publication, and will be divided with the Cairo Museum subsequently.
Of the other objects found, which belong for the most part to the fifth
or sixtli century, few possess much interest. About 25 ostraca were
discovered, of which we append the text of ten. (1) 3rd cent. X0709
a\a/c( ) dyopacrOevTcov vtto 'A7ruovo<; ical Qcoviov rdpiya (1. rapfyuiv)
eTTTaKHT^iXbcov, tovtcov 7) Tifir) co? rail) €/ca,Tov (Spa^fial) vs, yepr/fiaTo?
o-^rapihiaiv rpiaKocrta (1. -leav) TrevTrf/covra a>? tojv eKarov Trevrai (1. -re),
eirpdOrj yepBuo ev rropcp rv(j)X(p u-^raplhia irevraKoaLa e/c Spa^fiojv KvSorjKovra
(1. 07S-). "Account ... of 7000 pickled fish bought by Apion and
Thonius, of these the price was at the rate of 56 drachmae per 100 ;
from the produce of 350 cakes at 5 dr. per 100, of these 500 were sold
to a weaver in a closed passage for 80 drachmae," (2) 5th cent.