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ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS

Artefact ID1408
TM IDTM 33087
Findspot (DEChriM ID)30   (al-Ašmūnayn)
ClassTextual
MaterialParchment
Writing mediumSheet/roll
Text contentDocumentary
LanguageGreek
Description

SB III 7269: Letter of peace.

Folio of parchment containing a recommendation from Tyrannos, the head of a Christian community, to his fellow "beloved brothers" from another community. He asks that the brethren Eudaimon be well received by them. Greetings in the Lord.

This letter is categorised as a "letter of peace" rather than a "letter of recommendation" in Teeter 1997: 960. G. Poethke (in Treu 1982 = BL VIII 327) noted that some letters that are not in ed.pr. can be read after the final salutations, perhaps "αμ̣.νϙ.." which could read "amen ϙθ" ( = 99 = amen isopsephism).

The handwriting is not well practised; use of nomina sacra. Verso is blank.

This is one of the rare letters written on parchment rather than papyrus and may be linked to the production of Christian codices for which parchment was the standard material (Sarri 2018: 86). Other letters on parchment at the end of 3rd or 4th c. are: in Greek PSI IX 1041; PSI III 208 and in Coptic: P.Kellis VII 93.

Selection criteriaMention of Christian individuals/communities, Christian terms/formulas/concepts, Christian symbols/gestures/isopsephy, Nomina sacra, Writing medium suggestive of Christian context
Date from350
Date to499
Dating criteria

Dated by Schubart and Naldini to 4/5th c. but 350-499 by W. Clarysse according to TM.

Absolute/relative dateRelative date
Archaeological context

Excavations in al-Eschmunen.

Accession number

Berlin, Staatliche Museen, Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung P. 11709

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reference edition

• Naldini, Mario. 1968. Il cristianesimo in Egitto. Florence, no. 94.

Editio princeps

• Schubart, Wilhelm. 1915. "Ägyptische Abteilung (Papyrussammlung)." Amtliche Berichte aus den königlichen Kunstsammlungen 36 (no. 10), no. 2 (p. 209-210).

Additional bibliography

• Sarri, Antonia. 2018. Material Aspects of Letter Writing in the Graeco-Roman World. Berlin-Boston.

• Teeter, Timothy M. 1997. "Letters of Recommendation or Letters of Peace?" In Akten des 21. lnternationalen Papyrologenkongresses, Berlin 1995. Archiv für Papyrusforschung, Beiheft 3. Berlin, 954-960.

• Treu, Kurt. 1982. P. Berol. 8508: "Christliches Empfehlungsschreiben aus dem Einband des koptisch-gnostischen Kodex P. 8502." Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete 28, 53-54.

Authors
Valérie Schram, 2021
Suggested citation
Valérie Schram, 2021, "Artefact ID 1408", 4CARE database - Fourth-Century Christian Archaeological Record of Egypt, https://4care-skos.mf.no/artefacts/1408
External links
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