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Papyrus document

Gallery Location
Not on View
Medium papyrus
Geography
Excavated at Theadelpheia (Batn al-Harit), Egypt
Date about 100-300 CE
Period Roman Imperial period
Dimensions Fragment 1: 12.2 x 4.7 cm
Object number 909.81.42
Department Art & Culture: Ancient Greece & Rome
Object History These papyrus fragments were excavated near the modern town of Batn al-Harit (ancient Theadelpheia) in the Fayum, Egypt, indicated by the Greek letter theta (θ) inscribed on the backside of one of the larger fragments. Led by Bernard P. Grenfell and Arthur S. Hunt and sponsored by the Egypt Exploration Fund (EEF), the excavation occurred between January and March of 1899. At the close of the dig, all artifacts, including this papyrus, were delivered to Oxford University. The papyrus was acquired by the ROM from the EEF in 1909, likely as a result of subscriptions to the EEF collected by Toronto donors and overseen by C. T. Currelly. Between 14 September 1967 and 20 February 1976, the papyrus was in the care of Alan Samuel, a Professor at the Department of Classics, University of Toronto.
Description

Numerous fragments from a document with writing on both sides. Formerly two inventory numbers (909.81.42 + 909.81.70) now joined.

The front (recto) of the largest fragment contains 15 lines of Greek text written in a practiced, legible documentary hand, in black ink, along the fibres. The text appears to contain a ledger pertaining to quantities of land measured in arouras. Each line contains an entry for one man. Curiously, each man is named named Markos, though with variation in their respective patronyms (e.g., Flavios, line 4; Antonius or Antoninos, line 6).

The papyrus was flipped and the back (verso) inscribed with several lines of Greek text, with black ink, across the fibres, in a documentary hand. The text is too fragmentary to discern the document type.

A processing number θ19 was written on the back (verso) some time after excavation.

Papyrus document
Papyrus document - 909.81.42.1_1_20220913_3k
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