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4CARE-ARTEFACTS

ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS

Artefact ID	1682
TM ID	TM 32908
Findspot (DEChriM ID)	- ()
Class	Textual
Material	Papyrus
Writing medium	Sheet/roll
Text content	Documentary
Language	Greek
Description	P. Ross. Georg. 3 10: Letter from Pserakos to his brother Papnouthios The left side of this sheet (29.7 x 15.7 cm) is missing a strip of 2–2.5 cm. Although the sheet is damaged, the text is legible save for some personal names. A horizontal fold has caused damage to the middle of the sheet. The letter is addressed to τῷ πού γλυκυτά[τ]ῳ μου ἀδελφῷ (line 1) Papnouthios, from Pserakos, who identifies himself as an augustal of a numerus of quintanes. It continues with well-wishes τῷ πανελεήμονι θεῷ in line 4 (which Horsley 1982 sees as reminiscent of 2 Cor. 1.3-4), before greetings are extended to a number of individuals: Harphat, Gounthos, Sophia, Psois, Tao, the πρεσβύτερος Pasen, Tanephrimmis (?), Paphnouthios, Phyph, Helena (?), Imi’s wife, the village chiefs (πρωτοκωμήτης) Anne and Phileas, Rheakos and Atillis. He particularly greets those of the villages Tieio and Psosengyphto. Following this long section comes the news Pserakos wishes to relay: with God’s help (σὺν θεῷ εἴδε, line 21–22), he has achieved the military rank of ἀπόσσχολος of the augustali. He promises to join the family after Easter (μετὰ τὰ πάσσχα, line 23), god-willing ([θ]έλῃ ὁ θεός, line 24). The verso contains the address.
Selection criteria	Mention of Christian cult officials/institutions, Christian terms/formulas/concepts, Christian onomastics
Date from	381
Date to	499
Dating criteria	Palaeography; for the historical development of the Egyptian provinces into four in the year 381 (Augustamnica, Arcadia, Aegyptus and Thebaid) under the authority of a single Augustal prefect, see Bagnall 1993.
Absolute/relative date	Relative date
Archaeological context	Unknown provenance. Part of the private collection of Maria Ivanovna Maximova, professor at Leningrad State University. Grigol Zereteli was married to Maximova’s sister Sofia and published some texts from his sister-in-law’s collection in his edition volumes. Part of Maximova’s collection had been purchased by Egyptologist Boris A. Turaev in Cairo in 1909 (Turaev was married to Zereteli’s sister Elena).
Accession number	Tbilisi, Korneli Kekelidze Georgian National Centre of Manuscripts, No. 246 / St. Petersburg, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of History of Material Culture (?)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Editio princeps
• Zereteli, Gregor and Peter Jernstedt. 1930. Papyri Russischer und Georgischer Sammlungen (P. Ross.-Georg.) III. Spätrömische und Byzantinische Texte. Tiflis: Universitätslithographie. 42-53, No. 10.

Additional bibliography
• Avdokhin, Arkadiy. 2021. “Offering Wreaths, Hybridizing Genres: An Unusual Third-Century Mummy Label (P. Ross. Georg. 1, 14).” Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik (ZPE) 220. 233-239: 233n2. [on Maximova’s private collection]
• Bagnall, Roger S. 1993. Egypt in Late Antiquity. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 64. [cf. date]
• Choat, Malcolm. 2006. Belief and Cult in Fourth-Century Papyri. Studia Antiqua Australiensia 1. Turnhout: Brepols. 79n335, 84n351.
• Debrunner, Albert. 1933. Nachklassisches Griechisch. Berlin: De Gruyter. 15-16, No. 16.
• Horsley, Gregory H. R. 1982. New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity. Volume 2. A Review of the Greek Inscriptions and Papyri Published in 1977. Macquarie University: The Ancient History Documentary Research Centre. 157, §97.3.
• Kapsomenakis, Stylianos G. 1938. Voruntersuchungen zu einer Grammatik der Papyri der nachchristlichen Zeit. Münchener Beiträge zur Papyrusforschung und Antiken Rechtsgeschichte 28. Munich: C. H. Beck. 72-73, No. 15.
• Naldini, Mario. 1968. Il Cristianesimo in Egitto. Lettere private nei papiri dei secoli II-IV. Firenze: Le Monnier. 348-351, No. 90.
• O'Callaghan, José. 1963. Cartas cristianas griegas del siglo V. Barcelona: Editorial Balmes. 64-69, No. 9.
• Pestman, Pieter W., Hans-Albert Rupprecht, Francisca A. J. Hoogendijk et al. 1995. Berichtigungsliste der griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Ägypten IX. Leiden/New York/Köln: Brill. 226. [regarding ἀπόσσχολος]
• Wilcken, Ulrich. 1932. “Urkunden-Referat.” Archiv für Papyrusforschung (AfP) 10. 237-279: 261.

Authors

Victoria G. D. Landau, Victor Ghica, 2023, 2024

Suggested citation

Victoria G. D. Landau, Victor Ghica, 2023, 2024, "Artefact ID 1682", 4CARE database - Fourth-Century Christian Archaeological Record of Egypt, https://4care-skos.mf.no/artefacts/1682

Json data

External links

TM 32908 DDbDP (PN) HGV

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