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ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS

Artefact ID1579
TM IDTM 33137
Findspot (DEChriM ID)-   ()
ClassTextual
MaterialPapyrus
Writing mediumSheet/roll
Text contentDocumentary
LanguageGreek
Description

P. Giss. 1 54: Letter from the deacon Kyros to Olympiodoros and Hermaeion 
The letter (28 x 22.5) is written by multiple hands. In a first part, Kyros addresses Hermaeion who has just been nominated as διαδότης for Syene, and Kyros advises him to immediately secure incoming shippings once he has been confirmed, before the outgoing officials do so. In a second, he addresses Olympiodoros regarding the annona. The second, third and fourth hand add various greetings, to Apa Laurinos and Apa Par[…], an unnamed individual and his children, as well as the children of Manth and Paulinos. The verso contains the address.

Selection criteriaMention of Christian cult officials/institutions, Christian terms/formulas/concepts
Date from300
Date to499
Dating criteria

Palaeography

Absolute/relative dateRelative date
Archaeological context

Unknown provenance; ~150 papyri bought for Giessen in Egypt between the years 1902–1913, motivated by ancient historian Ernst Kornemann, and financed by local industrialist Wilhelm Gail. The Giessen online catalogue places the purchase in al-Ašmūnayn in 1902.

Accession number

Giessen, Universitätsbibliothek P. Giss. 3

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Editio princeps
• Meyer, Paul M. 1910. Griechische Papyri im Museum des Oberhessischen Geschichtsvereins zu Giessen. Band 1, Heft 2. Urkunden No. 36–57 mit 3 Lichtdrucktafeln, edited by Ernst Kornemann and Paul M. Meyer. Leipzig/Berlin: B.G. Teubner. 87-92, No. 54.

Additional bibliography
• Ghedini, Giuseppe. 1923. Lettere Cristiane dai Papiri Greci del III e IV Secolo. Milano: Presso l'amministrazione di Aegyptus e la società editrice Vita e Pensiero. 264-272, No. 42.
• Koskenniemi, Heikki. 1956. Studien zur Idee und Phraseologie des griechischen Briefes bis 400 n. Chr. Annales Academia Scientiarum Fennicae Ser. B, Volume 102,2. Helsinki: Finnish Society. 81n1, 178n1, 187.
• Leclercq, Henri. 1929. "Lettres Chrétiennes." In Dictionnaire d'Archéologie chrétienne et de liturgie 8(2), fasc. 90–91, edited by Fernand Cabrol and Henri Leclercq. Paris: Librairie Letouzey & Ané, col. 2683-2885: col. 2792, No. 45.
• Mitteis, Ludwig and Ulrich Wilcken. 1912. Grundzüge und Chrestomathie der Papyruskunde. Erster Band: Historischer Teil. Zweite Hälfte: Chrestomathie. Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung. 497-499, No. 420.
• Naldini, Mario. 1968. Il Cristianesimo in Egitto. Lettere private nei papiri dei secoli II-IV. Firenze: Le Monnier. 372-376, No. 97.
• O'Callaghan, José. 1963. Cartas cristianas griegas del siglo V. Barcelona: Editorial Balmes. 48-53, No. 5.
Schubart, Wilhelm. 1951. “Spicilegium criticum.” Aegyptus 31. 148-157: 156, No. 11.

Authors
Victoria G. D. Landau, 2023
Suggested citation
Victoria G. D. Landau, 2023, "Artefact ID 1579", 4CARE database - Fourth-Century Christian Archaeological Record of Egypt, https://4care-skos.mf.no/artefacts/1579
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