4care-artefacts – 4care

4CARE-ARTEFACTS

ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS

Artefact ID	1253
TM ID	TM 32907
Findspot (DEChriM ID)	- ()
Class	Textual
Material	Papyrus
Writing medium	Sheet/roll
Text content	Documentary
Language	Greek
Description	P.Ross.Georg. III 9: Letter from Markianos to Isak. Complete letter, starting on the first line with the Christian cryptogram ΧΜΓ (with supralinear stroke). The letter was sent by Markianos to his master Isak. He takes advantage of having sent his servants to him to greet him and his family, thanks him for having shown such hospitality to some of his beloved one, and expresses how glad he is after having learnt that Isak has become an even closer "brother". The second part of the letter concerns goods that Markianos asks Isak to send his servants for in Memphis. In the final greetings, he wishes that "the good Providence" (agathe pronoia) keeps him safe of body and soul through a good life. A last line was added after about the quantity of wine he has sent. Naldini 1968 suggests that the mention of a closer brotherhood refers to the conversion of Isak to Christian faith, which is made obvious by the use of ΧΜΓ. The structure of the letter is typical of the 4th c., with indentations in the prescript and final greetings. The latter being written by a different hand, probably Markianos'.
Selection criteria	Christian terms/formulas/concepts, Christian symbols/gestures/isopsephy
Date from	375
Date to	399
Dating criteria	Palaeography: Dated to the end of 4th c. in ed.pr. (no image available).
Absolute/relative date	Relative date
Archaeological context	Unknown provenance. Part of the private collection of Egyptologist Vladimir Goleniščev, sold to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow) between 1908 and 1912, with the help of Boris A. Turaev (see Chepel 2018).
Accession number	Moscow, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts IG 4911

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Editio princeps

• Zereteli, Grigorij F. and Ernštedt, Pëtr V. 1930. Papyri russischer und georgischer Sammlungen III, Spätrömische und byzantinische Texte. Tiflis, no. 9.

Additional bibliography

• Chepel, Elena. 2018. "Russian collections of Greek papyri and history of their publication: an overview (with the catalogue of Greek papyri held at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow)." Egypt and Neighbouring Countries 3, 57-80 (esp. 65).

• Choat, Malcolm. 2006. Belief and Cult in Fourth-Century Papyri. Studia Antiqua Australiensia 1. Turnhout: Brepols, 107, 158.

• Naldini, Mario. 1968. Il Cristianesimo in Egitto. Lettere private nei papiri dei secoli II-IV. Studi e Testi di Papirologia 3. Firenze: Le Monnie, no. 77.

Authors

Valérie Schram, Victoria G. D. Landau, 2021, 2023

Suggested citation

Valérie Schram, Victoria G. D. Landau, 2021, 2023, "Artefact ID 1253", 4CARE database - Fourth-Century Christian Archaeological Record of Egypt, https://4care-skos.mf.no/artefacts/1253

Json data

External links

TM 32907 DDbDP (PN)

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