A Study and Investigation of Unpublished Greek Documentary Papyri and Ostraca

Abstract

This research is about Study and Investigation for five pieces from the Papyri and seven pieces from the ostraca. Three pieces from the papyri collection belongs to the Michigan Papyrus Collection which housed in the Egyptian Museum- Cairo; they All were discovered in Karanis during the excavation of the Michigan University at the site, the pieces holding the inventory numbers, 4827، 4805D and 4805 A/C/D/F. The other two pieces belongs to the Rare Book and Manuscripts Library at Yale University-USA; they were discovered at the city of Oxyrhynchus and hold the inventory numbers 1428 and 410A. As per the ostraca collection, it belongs to the Bibliotheca Albertina Collection, Leipzig University- Germany and they all came from the city of Thebes. The pieces hold the inventory numbers; 703, 707, 928, 837, 808, 717, and 708. The documents deals with several topics from the Roman period; except one document that back to the Byzantine period; exactly, the collection covers the period from AD 130 till AD 472. Most of the documents have preserved the date and the provenance in context. The content of the documents are as follows:- First: The Papyri Collection: 1. P. Cair. Mich. 4805 A/Α-C/Α-D/Α-F: “Preparations for Hadrian’s Visit to Egypt” The text which consists of 14 in-complete lines is dated to Hadrian’s visit to Egypt in AD 130. The writing runs along the fibers on the recto. The document comes from the village of Karanis. The text is an oath addressed from two public farmers of Karanis to the strategus of Themistus Meris. Both farmers sworn the oath by the fortune of the Emperor Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus in order to help in the preparations of the emperor visit to Arsinoite by providing 2800 load of the flax in cooperation with the public farmers from the village Dionysias. The verso is blank.