4care-artefacts – 4care

4CARE-ARTEFACTS

ARTEFACT IDENTIFIERS

Artefact ID	1733
TM ID	TM 32954
Findspot (DEChriM ID)	33 (Madīnat al-Fayyūm)
Class	Textual
Material	Papyrus
Writing medium	Sheet/roll
Text content	Documentary
Language	Greek
Description	SB 14 12173: Letter from a son to his mother Moirous (?) The relatively well-preserved letter (11 x 25.5 cm) begins with reporting the sender’s daily προσκύνημα, for his mother as well as his brother Aphreingios and sister-in-law Zenobia. The ed.pr. considered this to be the first securely Christian letter to use the προσκύνημα formula. Most of the letter’s content is devoted to greetings to family members and other individuals: τ[ὸ]ν υἱόν μου Serapion, Silvanos, Apollonion τὸν δ[εσ]πότην μου, τὴν [θυ]γατέραν μου Mara and her sister, Demetria and her children, Apa Ganeis, the sister of Apynchis, Sake and Janes. These last two have been added along the left margin. ἡ ἀ[δ]ελφὴ ὑμῶν Matrona sends her greetings. One sentence, directly addressed to the brother Aphreingios, regards fish sauce (γάρος, line 14), anise and medicine (τὰ θεραπ[…], line 16) for the sender’s son Heras, which Aphreingios is asked to send. The next informs him that the sender has been patiently waiting (μεμενήκαμεν καρτεροῦντες, line 19–20) for the arrival of Zenobia and her brother, The verso addresses the letter to the house of Apa Kyri, son of Lolous, in Hierakeion (in Arsinoe).
Selection criteria	Mention of Christian individuals/communities, Christian terms/formulas/concepts, Christian onomastics
Date from	300
Date to	399
Dating criteria	Palaeography
Absolute/relative date	Relative date
Archaeological context	Presumably Arsinoe (Madīnat al-Fayyūm); acquired in Egypt by Bernard P. Grenfell and Francis W. Kelsey in Egypt in April/May 1920.
Accession number	Ann Arbor, Michigan University, Library P. 346

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Editio princeps
• Youtie, Herbert C. 1978. “P. Mich. inv. 346: A Christian προσκυνεμα.” Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik (ZPE) 28: 265-268. Tafel XVIII.

Additional bibliography
• Choat, Malcolm. 2006. Belief and Cult in Fourth-Century Papyri. Studia Antiqua Australiensia 1. Turnhout: Brepols. 68n282, 95n413, 168.
• Scholl, Reinhold and Margrit Homann. 2012. "Antike Briefkultur unter Familienmitgliedern." In Papyrologie und Exegese. Die Auslegung des Neuen Testaments im Licht der Papyri, edited by Jens Herzer. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. 47-126: 74-76, No. 5. 115, Abb. 4.
• Rupprecht, Hans-Albert and Joachim Hengstl. 1983. Sammelband Griechischer Urkunden aus Ägypten. Vierzehnter Band. Drittes Heft. (Nr. 11938–12219). (SB 14). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. 507-508, No. 12173.
• Winter, John Garrett. 1933. Life and Letters in the Papyri. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 87.

Authors

Victoria G. D. Landau, 2023

Suggested citation

Victoria G. D. Landau, 2023, "Artefact ID 1733", 4CARE database - Fourth-Century Christian Archaeological Record of Egypt, https://4care-skos.mf.no/artefacts/1733

Json data

External links

TM 32954 DDbDP (PN) HGV University of Michigan (APIS UM)

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