DOI Artikel:
Kenyon, Frederic George: Progress of Egyptology: graeco-roman Egypt
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11174#0063
50
Progress of Egyptology.
the variants from the extant texts are unimportant; but it must be
remembered that it is a real gain to science to get this constantly increas-
ing cumulative evidence in favour of the substantial authenticity of our
extant texts. Palaeographically, too, some of these papyri are very
valuable, and make a real and tangible addition to our knowledge of the
literary hands of the first three centuries of the Christian era. Finally,
they show us what we may still hope for from Egypt. They prove that
many works now lost to us were still extant in Egypt in the early centuries
of our era, and consequently it is always possible that some of them will
turn up in a more complete form, to rejoin the Hyperides, Aristotle,
Herodas. and Bacchylides, which Egypt has already restored to us.
The non-literary papyri, which form the bulk of Messrs. Grenfell and
Hunt's volume, are in much better case than the literary, so far as external
condition is concerned; but they are too miscellaneous to be discussed
in detail here. One notable element of interest must not be overlooked.
Hitherto nearly all the non-literary papyri of the Roman period have
come from the Eayyum, and perhaps one has been inclined to generalize
as to the state of the whole country from this single and rather special
district; but the Oxyrhynchus papyri enable us to check our informa-
tion by evidence from a different locality. Palaeographically, too, these
papyri will be very useful, when they are either published in facsimile
or made accessible in their permanent homes, since they supply dated
documents from periods (such as the sixth and seventh centuries) for
which such evidence is still much wanted. Altogether the Society, the
editors, and scholars in general, are much to be congratulated on this
volume, and its annual successors will be eagerly looked for.
The second volume of the British Museum Catalogue of Papyri, which
was delayed on account of the Bacchylides, will have appeared before
this Report is in print.3 It contains descriptions of about 400 papyri,
and complete texts of 262, with introductions, notes and indices; while
facsimiles of 132 (nearly all precisely dated) appear in a separate atlas.
The texts are entirely non-literary (the literary texts having already
been published elsewhere, with a few exceptions), and nearly all of them
belong to the Roman period. They are of the same general type as the
Berlin papyri already published, many of the papyri in both collections
having originally come from the same find, at and about Dimeh in the
Fayyum. The most novel among the British Museum papyri are
perhaps some long rolls relating to the census and poll-tax, and to the
status of the privileged class known as kutolkou, and the corresj^ondence
of a Roman military officer, named Abinnaeas, in the middle of the
Progress of Egyptology.
the variants from the extant texts are unimportant; but it must be
remembered that it is a real gain to science to get this constantly increas-
ing cumulative evidence in favour of the substantial authenticity of our
extant texts. Palaeographically, too, some of these papyri are very
valuable, and make a real and tangible addition to our knowledge of the
literary hands of the first three centuries of the Christian era. Finally,
they show us what we may still hope for from Egypt. They prove that
many works now lost to us were still extant in Egypt in the early centuries
of our era, and consequently it is always possible that some of them will
turn up in a more complete form, to rejoin the Hyperides, Aristotle,
Herodas. and Bacchylides, which Egypt has already restored to us.
The non-literary papyri, which form the bulk of Messrs. Grenfell and
Hunt's volume, are in much better case than the literary, so far as external
condition is concerned; but they are too miscellaneous to be discussed
in detail here. One notable element of interest must not be overlooked.
Hitherto nearly all the non-literary papyri of the Roman period have
come from the Eayyum, and perhaps one has been inclined to generalize
as to the state of the whole country from this single and rather special
district; but the Oxyrhynchus papyri enable us to check our informa-
tion by evidence from a different locality. Palaeographically, too, these
papyri will be very useful, when they are either published in facsimile
or made accessible in their permanent homes, since they supply dated
documents from periods (such as the sixth and seventh centuries) for
which such evidence is still much wanted. Altogether the Society, the
editors, and scholars in general, are much to be congratulated on this
volume, and its annual successors will be eagerly looked for.
The second volume of the British Museum Catalogue of Papyri, which
was delayed on account of the Bacchylides, will have appeared before
this Report is in print.3 It contains descriptions of about 400 papyri,
and complete texts of 262, with introductions, notes and indices; while
facsimiles of 132 (nearly all precisely dated) appear in a separate atlas.
The texts are entirely non-literary (the literary texts having already
been published elsewhere, with a few exceptions), and nearly all of them
belong to the Roman period. They are of the same general type as the
Berlin papyri already published, many of the papyri in both collections
having originally come from the same find, at and about Dimeh in the
Fayyum. The most novel among the British Museum papyri are
perhaps some long rolls relating to the census and poll-tax, and to the
status of the privileged class known as kutolkou, and the corresj^ondence
of a Roman military officer, named Abinnaeas, in the middle of the