| Artefact ID | 1335 |
| TM ID | TM 77997 |
| Findspot (DEChriM ID) | - () | Class | Textual |
| Material | Papyrus |
| Writing medium | Sheet/roll |
| Text content | Documentary |
| Language | Greek |
| Description | P.Benaki 4; SB XXVI 16686: Letter to a "most holy son". Fragment of a sheet of papyrus preserving upper part of a letter written by a mother to her "lord and most holy son". The object of the letter concerns some victuals she is sending to him and instructions about their preservation and further treatment. The end is missing. No name is given; the Christian identity of the correspondents is clear from the verso where was written the reply from the son, who may have held a high church position to be called "most holy", perhaps a bishop according to ed. – but Choat 2017 notes that if agiotatos is used for both bishops and monks in late antiquity, in 4th-c. papyri it is used only of the latter. Recto: the text is written along the fibres, the hand is largely detached, with letters of uneven size – not a practiced hand but not an absolute beginner' either (Bagnall and Cribiore 2006). Verso: the reply is written across the fibres (see P.Benaki 5). |
| Selection criteria | Christian terms/formulas/concepts |
| Date from | 350 |
| Date to | 425 |
| Dating criteria | Palaeograpically dated 4th c. in ed. pr. but the hand could also be of the early 5th c. |
| Absolute/relative date | Relative date |
| Archaeological context | Fayyum |
| Accession number | Athens, Benaki Museum 614 A. |
ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS
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