Graeco-Roman mummies found in the Fayum

Graeco-Roman mummies, painted wooden sarcophagi, jewellery and papyri have been unearthed in Deir Al-Banat necropolis in Fayoum, reports Nevine El-Aref

Deir Al-Banat necropolis, which lies in the southern Fayoum, comprises a series of rock hewn tombs dating from the Graeco-Roman period through to early Christian times. To the north is a well preserved ruin of a mediaeval monastery with a fired brick church at its centre, a mud brick residential area and a refectory where the monks would have communal meals.

Between 1980 and 1995 the necropolis was the site of major excavations by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority, now the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). A collection of intact Roman burials were discovered along with disturbed Coptic graves containing bones and skulls. The necropolis was then neglected until 2002 when a joint Russian-American mission was given permission to conduct excavations and an anthropological survey. etc. at Al-Ahram.
If the Al Ahram site is still down, the article is cached here

Source: Egyptology News
Russian Academy of Sciences, Center for Egyptological Research

A source for information on pervious excavations at Deir al-Banat: Christianity and Monasticism in the Fayoum Oasis
Essays from the 2004 International Symposium of the Saint Mark Foundation and the Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society in Honor of Martin Krause
Edited by Gawdat Gabra


Deir al Bant is also transliterated: Deir / Dair / Dayr, el / al; not to be confused with Qasr al Banat (Greek Euhemeria).

APF 52.2 2007: Archiv für Papyrusforschung

Inhalt

My thanks to Prof. B. Kramer for making the contents available.

REVIEW: G. Emmenegger, Der Text des koptischen Psalters aus Al-Mudi

G. Emmenegger, Der Text des koptischen Psalters aus Al-Mudil. Ein Beitrag zur Textgeschichte der Septuaginta und zur Textkritik koptischer Bibelhandschriften, mit der kritischen Neuausgabe des Papyrus 37 der British Library London (U) und des Papyrus 39 der Leipziger Universitätsbibliothek (2013). Text und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur 159. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2007. Pp. xxviii, 391. ISBN 978-3-11-019948-2. €118.00.

Reviewed by Thomas J. Kraus, Hilpoltstein (t.j.kraus@web.de)
Word count: 1718 words

This is a just slightly revised version of Gregor Emmenegger's Th.D. thesis (Theological Faculty Fribourg/Suisse, 2005), enlarged by an index of biblical references. Title and subtitle of the book reveal Emmenegger's (hereafter E.) main concern: a full-scale investigation into the text and context of the so-called Coptic Mudil-Codex, which preserves the complete Psalter in the textual form of the Septuagint, and its implications for Septuagint studies. In addition, E. compares the Mudil-Codex with other codices and their relevant textual passages. In two addenda, both of them standing on their own, E. offers re-editions of Papyrus 37, a Greek codex, and Papyrus 39, a Greek roll. Of course, E.'s editorial work and studies will certainly not attract the attention of readers without (at least some) expertise in textual criticism and consequently will not find a broad readership. This is due to (a) the use of the relevant original languages Hebrew, Greek, and the Coptic dialects (without accompanying translations into German) and (b) the technical language and terminology that is necessary for editing and assessing ancient manuscripts. However, this does not mean that E. did anything wrong.On the contrary, he provides an indispensable tool for all those concerned about the text and textual history of the Septuagint and its manuscript witnesses. Scholars like E. with such a splendid expertise, i.e. scholars who possess the skills to edit manuscripts and the knowledge of ancient languages, are hard to find these days. Thus, E.'s impressively meticulous and learned work is very much welcome, and he must be thanked for taking over the sometimes enervating and tiring work of providing others with text-critical studies of the Mudil-Codex and re-editions of two other important textual witnesses.
More at BMCR

Journal of Egyptian Archaeology (ISSN 0307 5133)

Contents

Notable for our periods:

A snake-legged Dionysos from Egypt, and other Divine snakes
Donald M Bailey ... 263

Review
J D Ray, Demotic Papyri and Ostraca from Qasr Ibrim
Cary J Martin ... 280

Pascale Ballet et al , Kellia, II: L’ermitage copte QR 195, II: La céramique, les Inscriptions, les décors
Peter Grossmann ... 288

Source Egyptology News

In Paperback: K. BARD, An Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt

Preface
List of illustrations
List of boxed features
1. Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology
2. Hieroglyphs, Language, and Pharaonic Chronology
3. The Environmental Background to Pharaonic Civilization: Geography, Environment, Agriculture, and Natural Resources
4. Egyptian Prehistory: Paleolithic and Neolithic
5. The Rise of Complex Society and Early Civilization
6. Pyramids and Power: the Old Kingdom and State Fragmentation of the First Intermediate Period
7. The Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period
8. The New Kingdom
9. The Third Intermediate Period and Late Period
10. The Greco-Roman Period
11. The Study of Ancient Egypt
Glossary of Terms
Abbreviations of References Listed in Suggested Readings
Suggested Readings
Additional Readings in French, German and Italian
Chapter Summaries and Discussion Questions
Index

searchable on Google book search

source Egyptology News , worldcat

Ancient Society 37 (2007) Festschrift Guido Schepens

Ancient Society

Festschrift Guido Schepens

Volume 37
2007

1 - 35 -
Travail et loisir en Grèce ancienne
À propos de la complémentarité des activités du citoyen
VANHAEGENDOREN, Koen

37 - 61 -
Political Murder in Classical Greece
BEARZOT, Cinzia

63 - 67 -
Un'oscura clausola sulla paideia dei mothakes Phylarch., FGrHist 81 F43 = Athen., 271e-f)
COBETTO GHIGGIA, Pietro

69 - 87 -
Les identités multiples de Ptolémaios, fils de Glaukias
VEÏSSE, Anne-Emmanuelle
Abstract :
The recluse Ptolemaios is a well-known character of Ptolemaic Egypt. The object of this article is not to shed new light on who he was but on what he says he is, taking advantage of the relatively high number of documents composed by him. Mainly on the basis of the praescripta of the petitions addressed either to the king or to his agents, this study leads us to the following results. Almost omnipresent, the ethnic designation ‘Macedonian’ is nevertheless confined to the field of the official identity. If Ptolemaios wants to define his origin he does so geographically as a ‘man of the Heracleopolite’, and culturally as a ‘Hellene’, but not as a Macedonian. The self-definition ‘Glaukias’son’ is more complex: in some contexts, being the son of Glaukias makes Ptolemaios a soldier’s son, in others an orphan’s son who is the more vulnerable as he himself has no children. As to the identity of ‘recluse’, it appears to have the greatest importance: it is a key element of his social identity and is also used in different ways to legitimate his requests.

89 - 95 -
The Archive of Taembes, a Female Brewer in the Heracleopolite Nome
CLARYSSE, Willy
Abstract :
A group of nine receipts for beer tax from Hibeh in the 3rd century BC are linked by Taembes, a woman who probably functioned as a tax farmer in Talae (Heracleopolite nome). The receipts were written in double, with a short inner and a full outer text and followed by a subscription in demotic, which has thus far remained unpublished.

97 - 106 -
Hierakapollon, the Title of Panos Polis and the Names in -Apollon
LITINAS, Nikos
Abstract :
Onomastic study of theophoric names compounded with -apollon as their second element. These names are typical of Roman Egypt, especially the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. They are both Greek and Egyptian, depending on the first part of the name. Some of them are limited to a particular part of Egypt, e.g. the Panopolite (Hierakapollon, Besapollon, Horapollon), the Hermopolite (Heraklapollon, Hermapollon) and the Arsinoite nomes (Isapollon) and illustrate the religious particularisms of Egypt up to the late Roman period.

107 - 120 -
Persian Katoikoi in Hellenistic Smyrna
FINGERSON, Kyle R.
Abstract :
The ancient Greeks and Macedonians closely guarded their rights and obligations as citizens. Throughout most of their history they excluded non-Greeks or ‘barbarians’ from participating in Hellenic civic organizations. After the campaigns of Alexander, as Greco-Macedonian culture spread eastwards, we begin to see exceptions made to Hellenic civic segregation and some non-Hellenic people were conferred with civic rights in exchange for military service. During the Third Syrian War (246-241 BC), the city of Smyrna, a loyal ally of Seleucus II, arranged a treaty with its neighbor Magnesia near Mt. Sipylus. One of the conditions of the treaty was the promise of equal rights and obligations to the Greek and Persian soldiers in Magnesia as citizens of Smyrna. Beginning with the text of the inscription I. Smyrna 573 the author confirms that the Persians of the garrison in Magnesia were conferred with the same civic rights and obligations as their Hellenic counterparts. The author then proceeds to investigate the primary and secondary literature and sources to determine that the Seleucids encountered a shortage of soldiers beginning in the 3rd century and that Persians and other non-Greeks were occasionally given civic rights to meet these recruitment needs. The author’s evidence strongly suggests that Alexander and the Seleucids adopted the Achaemenid precedent of using ‘foreign’ troops to supplement their military colonies in Asia Minor. The conferment of equal civic rights and obligations to Persian κάτοικοι or military colonists insured their loyalty to Seleucus II and helped him maintain his military requirements.


121 - 139 -
Protecting Sagalassos' Fortress of the Akra
Two Large Fragments of an Early Hellenistic Inscription (with an appendix by Marc Waelkens)
VANDORPE, Katelijn
Abstract :
The early Hellenistic inscription found at the Pisidian city of Sagalassos, records ‘agreements and accords’ that aimed to prevent rebellions and other crimes and protect the city, especially the fortified akra (‘highest part’) and any other mountain top that was part of the defence system (e.g., the Zencirli or Zencirükin Tepe, 1784m, and the Cinçinkirik Tepe, 1900m). The akra of Sagalassos is to be identified with the fortress of the Tekne Tepe (1885m) which overlooks the city and is located directly above the upper agora, where the inscription was undoubtedly erected before it was re-used in a Byzantine building. A contemporary inscription from Teos (Ionia) produces relevant reference material, but the measures taken by the city of Sagalassos are more stringent.

141 - 166 -
Class and Society in the Cities of the Greek East Education during the Ephebeia
HIN, Saskia
Abstract :
This article focuses on the character and objectives of the ephebeia during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Communis opinio holds that the post-classical ephebeia was an institution that aimed at preparing the sons of the elite for their future leading roles in the cities of the Greek East. Scholars have found confirmation of its elitist character in the downward slide of the age of admission into the ephebeia as compared to classical Athens. Its brief duration would moreover testify to the need to have their preparation completed as soon as possible. The inclusion of horse-riding on the program and the required level of intellectual education were thought to have put up barriers that excluded adolescents of lower rank. However, as I hope to show in the following, the epigraphic record does not support this sketch of the character of the post-classical ephebeia. Rather, it indicates that members were a more mixed group; that they were not particularly young and that duration of membership was flexible. Focus was on sports and moral rather than intellectual skills, with rewards given for ‘discipline’ and ‘diligence’ and ties with civic life closely knit. The purpose of creating a leading class was achieved not by exclusivity in membership, but by the establishment of an internal hierarchy amongst a wider group of participants that replicated the prevailing social structure of the cities. The ephebeia prepared both elite sons and non-aristocratic adolescents for civic life.

167 - 190 -
Apollon médecin en Étrurie
HAACK, Marie-Laurence

191 - 252 -
Roman Economic Growth and Living Standards Perceptions versus Evidence
SILVER, Morris

253 - 263 -
Rielaborazione artistica e fedeltà concettuale in Ammiano XXVII 6.6-9 e 12-13
COLOMBO, Maurizio

265 - 278 -
Reconsidering the Date of Photius' Bibliotheca
The Biographical Tradition of Gregory the Great in Chapter 252
MARAGLINO, Vanna

Tyche 21 (2006) in Press

INHALTSVERZEICHNIS
Amin Benaissa (Oxford): An Oxyrhynchite Sale on Delivery from the Reign of Mauricius (Tafel 1) ... 1

Cédric Brélaz (Athen): L’archonte stéphanéphore et la Tyché de Lébadée (Tafel 2) ... 11

Alain Delattre (Brüssel): Un extrait d’un sermon de Grégoire de Nysse en copte (Tafeln 3–4) ... 29

Herbert Heftner (Wien): Der Beginn von Sullas Proskriptionen ... 33

Angela Kalinowski (Saskatoon): Of Stones and Stonecutters: Reflections on the Genesis of Two Parallel Texts from Ephesos (IvE 672 and 3080) (Tafeln 5–6) ... 53

Bernd M. Kreiler (Planegg): Der Prokonsul Lentulus, der Imperator Murena und der Proquästor Lucullus ... 73

Thomas Kruse (Heidelberg): Der Gaustratege im römischen Ägypten. Bemerkungen zu einem neuen Buch ... 83

Christa Mayer (Wien): Die Weihinschriften zur Verleihung der ersten Kaiserneokorie an Ephesos (IvE II 232–235, 237–242; V 1498; VI 2048): Das Schriftbild (Tafeln 7–15) ... 117

Mischa Meier (Tübingen): Probleme der Thukydides-Interpretation und das Perikles-Bild des Historikers ... 131

Fritz Mitthof (Wien): Ein neues Formular für die Diokletianische Ära (Tafel 16) ... 169

Patrick Sänger (Wien): P.Berol. 21684: Lohnquittung für Eirenarchen (Tafel 17) ... 173

Daniela Summa (Berlin): Stela sepulcralis infantium (Tafel 18) ... 177

Ekkehard Weber (Wien): Die römischen Meilensteine von Rätien und Noricum. Zum neuen Faszikel des CIL XVII ... 181

Bemerkungen zu Papyri XIX ( 527–543) ... 195

Buchbesprechungen .... 205
Leonhard A. Burckhardt, Bürger und Soldaten. Aspekte der politischen und militärischen Rolle athenischer Bürger im Kriegswesen des 4. Jh. v. Chr., Stuttgart 1996 (P. Siewert: 205)

— Antonio Carlini et al., Studi sulla tradizione del testo di Isocrate, Florenz 2003 (B. G. Mandilaras: 206)

— Boris Dreyer, Untersuchungen zur Geschichte des spätklassischen Athen (322 – ca. 230 v. Chr.), Stuttgart 1999 (P. Siewert: 210)

— Werner Eck, Matthäus Hei l, Senatores populi Romani. Realität und mediale Präsentation einer Führungsschicht, Stuttgart 2005 (E. Weber: 211)

— Johannes Hahn, Gewalt und religiöser Konflikt. Studien zu den Auseinandersetzungen zwischen Christen, Heiden und Juden im Osten des Römischen Reiches (von Konstantin bis Theodosius II.), Berlin 2004 (J. Losehand: 214)

— Irmtraud Heitmeier, Das Inntal. Siedlungs- und Raumentwicklung
InhaltsverzeichnisIV eines Alpentales im Schnittpunkt der politischen Interessen von der römischen Okkupation bis in die Zeit Karls des Großen, Innsbruck 2005 (A. Picker: 217)

— Martin Jehne, Die Römische Republik. Von der Gründung bis Caesar, München 2006 (S. Hodecek: 220)

— Gabrielle Kremer, Die rundplastischen Skulpturen, in: Werner Jobst (Hrsg.), Das Heiligtum des Jupiter Optimus Maximus auf dem Pfaffenberg/Carnuntum II, Wien 2004 (J. Auinger: 221)

— Michel Mal ai se, Pour une terminologie et une analyse des cultes isiaques, Brüssel 2005 (G. Hölbl: 224)

— Hans J. Nissen, Geschichte Altvorderasiens, München 1999 (P. Siewert: 227)

— Paula Perlman, City and Sanctuary in Ancient Greece. The Theorodokia in the Peloponnese, Göttingen 2000 (P. Siewert: 228)

— Hans-Albert Rupprecht (Hrsg.), Symposion 2003. Vorträge zur griechischen und hellenistischen Rechtsgeschichte (Rauischholzhausen, 30. September – 3. Oktober 2003), Wien 2006 (Ph. Scheibelreiter: 229)

— Manfred G. Schmidt, Einführung in die lateinische Epigraphik, Darmstadt 2004 (Th. Pantzer: 232)

— Rainer Vollkommer (Hrsg.), Doris Vollkommer - Glökler (Red.), Künstlerlexikon der Antike Bd. I: A–K,

Bd. II: L– Z. Addendum A–K, München 2001 und 2004 (M. Donderer: 233)
Indices ... 237

Gesamtregister zu den Bänden 11–20 ... 241

Eingelangte Bücher....249
Tafeln 1–18

ZPE 162

INHALTSVERZEICHNIS ZPE 162 (2007)

Abascal, J. M. – Cebrián, R., Carthago Nova como caput viae. Dos miliarios de Tiberio de Huelves (Hispania citerior) 257–262

Austin, C. – Tchernetska, N. – Handley, E. W. – Horváth, L., New Readings in the Fragment of Hyperides’ Against Timandros from the Archimedes Palimpsest 1–4

Blank, D., The Life of Antiochus of Ascalon in Philodemus’ History of the Academy and a Tale of Two Letters 87–93

Cebrián, R. – Abascal, J. M., Carthago Nova como caput viae. Dos miliarios de Tiberio de Huelves (Hispania citerior) 257–262

Culasso Gastaldi, E., Il canestro di Anteros. Osservazioni in margine a SEG XXXII 216 125–131

Eck, W. – Pangerl, A., Neue Diplome für die Hilfstruppen von Britannia 223–234

Eck, W. – Pangerl, A., Weitere Militärdiplome für die mauretanischen Provinzen 235–247

Ferrari, F., Note al testo delle colonne II–VII del papiro di Derveni 203–211

Ferrari, F. – Prauscello, L., Demeter Chthonia and the Mountain Mother in a New Gold Tablet from Magoula Mati 193–202

Furley, W. D., A Lesson to All: Lykourgos’ Fate in the Tbilisi Hymn (P.Ross.Georg. I.11) 63–84

Giuseppetti, M., Callimaco, Inno a Delo 52–69, 80–97: Oxford, Bodleian Library, Ms. Gr. class. f 109 (P) 51–56

Gnilka, Chr., Zum Chrēsis-Mosaik in Antakya 95–98

Graf, F., Untimely Death, Witchcraft, and Divine Vengeance. A Reasoned Epigraphical Catalog 139–150

Graninger, D., Studies in the Cult of Artemis Throsia 151–164

Hagedorn, D., Datierung in den Sommer 175 oder 207 n. Chr.? 215–219

Handley, E. W. – Tchernetska, N. – Austin, C. – Horváth, L., New Readings in the Fragment of Hyperides’ Against Timandros from the Archimedes Palimpsest 1–4

Hawkins, Sh., IvE 106: ὁρειγυάδων καὶ ἐνέδρας 117–124

Hernández Muñoz, F. G., Los papiros y las arengas demosténicas (Or. I–XVII) 43–50

Horváth, L. – Tchernetska, N. – Handley, E. W. – Austin, C., New Readings in the Fragment of Hyperides’ Against Timandros
from the Archimedes Palimpsest 1–4

Juhel, P. – Temelkoski, D., Fragments de «boucliers macédoniens» au nom du roi Démétrios trouvés à Staro Bonče (République de Macédoine). Rapport préliminaire et présentation épigraphique 165–180

Lapini, W., Un’edizione posidippea dimenticata 61–62

Larson, S., Reassessing an Archaic Boiotian Dedication (Delphi Museum Inv. No. 3078) 99–106

Liu, J., The Era of Patavium Again 281–289

MacDonald, D., A Soldier’s Votive to Diana 279–280

MacDowell, D. M., Hereditary Sitesis in Fourth-Century Athens 111–113

Marchionni, R., Eine neue Inschrift des D. Fonteius Frontinianus aus Diana Veteranorum 290–292

Mattingly, H., Two Fifth-Century Attic Epigraphic Texts Revisited 107–110

Meier, M., Die erste Prätorianerpräfektur des Marinos von Apameia 293–296

Méndez Dosuna, J., Le skyphos de Satyros et le kelês de Dorilaos: une consultation oraculaire de Dodone (Lhôte n° 113) 181–187

Muhs, B. – Worp, K. A., Yet More Duplicate Mummy Labels 213–214

Muscolino, F., Gli studi epigrafici e archeologici di Anthony Askew e Thomas Blackburne a Taormina (1748–1749) 132–138

Nervegna, S., Staging Scenes or Plays? Theatrical Revivals of “Old” Greek Drama in Antiquity 14–42

Obsieger, H., Bemerkungen zu der Liebesprosa auf P. Erl. 4 = Nr. 7 Schubart 85–86

Pangerl, A. – Eck, W., Neue Diplome für die Hilfstruppen von Britannia 223–234

Pangerl, A. – Eck, W., Weitere Militärdiplome für die mauretanischen Provinzen 235–247

Prauscello, L. – Ferrari, F., Demeter Chthonia and the Mountain Mother in a New Gold Tablet from Magoula Mati 193–202

Rizzo, M. S. – Zambito, L., Novità epigrafiche siciliane. I bolli di contrada Cignana (Naro, Ag) 271–277

Schenke, G., Anweisungen zur Übergabe von Textilien und Weizen in O.Douch I 40 und 49 220–222

Sider, D., Simonides Epigram 3 FGE in P.Oxy. 31.2535 5–8

Speidel, M. A., Albata decursio – Ein kaiserliches Siegesmanöver. Zu einer neuen Inschrift aus Ankara 263–270

Tchernetska, N. – Handley, E. W. – Austin, C. – Horváth, L., New Readings in the Fragment of Hyperides’ Against Timandros from the Archimedes Palimpsest 1–4

Temelkoski, D. – Juhel, P., Fragments de «boucliers macédoniens» au nom du roi Démétrios trouvés à Staro Bonče (République de Macédoine). Rapport préliminaire et présentation épigraphique 165–180

Tsagalis, Chr. C., CEG 594 and Euripides’ Erechtheus 9–13

Vinci, M., Un nuovo epitaffio in greco della Sicilia di età alto-imperiale e il formulario con gli epiteti χρηστὸς καὶ ἅμεμπτος 188–192

Weiß, P., Weitere Militärdiplome für Soldaten in Mauretania Tingitana aus dem Balkanraum 249–256

Whitehorne, J., Posidippus 25 A–B and Ancient Life Expectancy 57–60

Worp, K. A. – Muhs, B., Yet More Duplicate Mummy Labels 213–214

Worthington, I., Encore IG II2 329 114–116

Zambito, L. – Rizzo, M. S., Novità epigrafiche siciliane. I bolli di contrada Cignana (Naro, Ag) 271–277
Corrigendum 94

DER ARTEMIDOR-PAPYRUS KOMMT NACH BERLIN

DER ARTEMIDOR-PAPYRUS KOMMT NACH BERLIN

Ein einzigartiges Zeugnis für Wissenschaft und Kunst der Antike wird ab 13. März 2008 in einer Sonderausstellung im Ägyptischen Museum Berlin zu sehen sein. Zum ersten Mal wird der Öffentlichkeit in Deutschland der Artemidor-Papyrus präsentiert, welcher in mehrfacher Hinsicht von singulärer Bedeutung ist: Er enthält einen literarischen Text, der bisher nicht bekannt war, eine Landkarte sowie Zeichnungen von menschlichen Köpfen, Händen und Füßen sowie von exotischen Tieren. Der Schrift nach zu urteilen stammt der Papyrus wahrscheinlich aus dem 1. Jh. v.Chr. Erhalten sind mehrere Fragmente, die zu einer ursprünglich mehr als 2,50 m breiten und 32,5 cm hohen Papyrusrolle gehörten. Gefunden wurden diese zusammen mit mehreren dokumentarischen Papyri aus dem 1. Jh. n.Chr. im oberägyptischen Dorf Antaiupolis. Ob die Rolle auch dort beschrieben war, ist jedoch unsicher. Angesichts der kalligraphischen Schrift und der hohen Qualität der Zeichnungen könnte man auch an Alexandria denken.
Read the rest at the Egyptian-Musuem-Berlin site

L CANFORA, Il papiro di Artemidoro

Luciano Canfora
Il papiro di Artemidoro


Leggi un brano

Invia ad un amico Stampa

Edizione 2008
Collana Storia e Società
ISBN 9788842085218
Argomenti Attualità
Storia antica

In breve
Nel 1998 le autorevoli pagine dell’“Archiv für Papyrusforschung” lanciano all’attenzione degli studiosi un papiro di oscura origine. Sul recto compaiono cinque colonne di scrittura e una serie di disegni. Sul verso, 42 figure di animali con didascalie in greco. Gli esperti chiamati in causa datano il reperto al I secolo a.C. e ne identificano il testo come parte della perduta Geografia di Artemidoro di Efeso.
Queste pagine espongono i risultati di una minuziosa indagine corale che, diretta da Luciano Canfora, demolisce l’autenticità del ‘papiro di Artemidoro’ con rigore documentario e finezza filologica. Dinanzi a cosa ci troviamo? A uno spezzone di un’opera perduta che, guarda caso, riutilizza giustappunto quel poco che già se ne conosceva? O piuttosto alla creazione di un geniale e prolifico inventore moderno?
Il principale indiziato è Costantino Simonidis, greco di nascita e appassionato di pittura non meno che di geografia antica, uno dei personaggi più ambigui vissuti nell’Europa ottocentesca, e falsario di fama.

Indice
Candido lectori - Dramatis personae - Il fantasma di Artemidoro - Parte prima Artemidoro di Efeso - I. Per la storia del testo di Artemidoro - II. I Geographoumena: struttura e stile di Claudio Schiano - III. Note sugli usi di gewgrafiva di Stefano Micunco - PROEKDOSIS - Parte seconda Il nuovo papiro - IV. Osservazioni bibliologiche sul nuovo Artemidoro di Rosa Otranto - V. Cosa conteneva il papiro quando era ‘intero’? - VI. Le figure di animali sul verso del papiro di Artemidoro di Stefano Micunco - VII. Le teste filosofiche: Eraclito e Democrito - VIII. «Se la geografia tace» - Parte terza Perché quel papiro non può essere Artemidoro - IX. Le molte vite del fr. 21 di Artemidoro - X. Perché quel papiro non può essere Artemidoro - Parte quarta La chiave della falsificazione - XI. La fortuna di poter contare sulla «Geografia» di Strabone - XII. La chiave della falsificazione è nella colonna IV, nella V il disastro - XIII. Quando i Pirenei si inoltravano nell’Oceano di Giuseppe Carlucci - XIV. Rilevamenti e misurazioni - Parte quinta Artemidoro «bizantino» di Luciano Bossina - XV. Artemidoro bizantino. Il proemio del nuovo papiro - XVI. Pesar l’anima - XVII. Geografia e patriottismo neogreco tra Sette e Ottocento - Parte sesta Profilo dell’autore - XVIII. Come lavorava Simonidis - XIX. 18 marzo 1864 - XX. Sarà Simonidis Artemidoro? di Luciano Bossina - XXI. Profilo dell’autore - XXII. La traccia - XXIII. Visita ai papiri di Simonidis di Livia Capponi - I papiri di Simonidis nella collezione Mayer di Vanna Maraglino - Divinatio - Bibliografia - Indice dei nomi - Indice dei luoghi - Indice dei manoscritti - Indice dei papiri - Indice delle illustrazioniIndice completo

Articles on the controversy created by Prof. Canfora's theory, 2007:
Italy
Germany

More controversy from 2006 at
Archaeogate Papirologia

Source: Papy-L

Call for Papers: American Society of Papyrologists (for APA Jan. 09, Philadelphia)

The American Society of Papyrologists

Call for Papers for the January 2009 Meeting in Philadelphia, PA


The American Society of Papyrologists invites proposals for papers for a panel on “Culture and Society in Greek, Roman, and Early Byzantine Egypt” for the 2009 APA in Philadelphia, January 8-11. Although the scope of papyrological studies is wide, submissions for this panel must meet at least one of the following criteria:

(a) they must make use of evidence for ancient cultures and literatures preserved in papyri, ostraca, or wooden tablets (in Greek, Latin, Coptic, Demotic, Arabic, or other appropriate languages);

(b) they must investigate aspects of the history, cultures, textual productions, or material culture of Egypt from the Hellenistic to the early Arab period.

Submissions from scholars at both junior and senior levels are welcome. Prospective speakers must be members in good standing of the APA.

Please send abstracts to Raffaella Cribiore, rc141 AT columbia.edu, by February 8, 2008. Abstracts should not exceed 600 words (one single-spaced page) and should not include the author’s name to ensure anonymous referral.

If sent by regular mail, abstracts should be postmarked by February 1, 2008 and addressed to: Raffaella Cribiore, 17 Sutton Place, New York, N.Y. 10022.


Source: Papy-L

E. BRESCIANI ed., Medinet Madi. Venti anni di esplorazione archeologica (1984-2005)

"Medinet Madi. Venti anni di esplorazione archeologica (1984-2005)" a cura di Edda Bresciani, Antonio Giammarusti, Rosario Pintaudi, Flora Silvano, Università di Pisa, Pisa 2006
27 dicembre 2007

INDICE DEL VOLUME

Introduzione
Edda Bresciani

CAPITOLO PRIMO
Il complesso templare scoperto da A. Vogliano
Antonio Giammarusti

L'area sacra

Edda Bresciani
La decorazione delle pareti del tempio del Medio Regno

Antonio Giammarusti
I restauri e gli ampliamenti del santuario in epoca tolemaica e romana. Il tempio "B"

CAPITOLO SECONDO

Edda Bresciani, Antonio Giammarusti, Peter Grossman, Carla Marchini
Medinet Madi "Copta"

Carlo La Torre
Particolari architettonici: Chiesa 84 A-B

Ritrovamenti

Flora Silvano
Vetri bizantini da Medinet Madi

Appendice

Tito Orlandi
Due fogli papiracei da Medinet Madi: l'historia Horsiesi

CAPITOLO TERZO
L'attività dell'Università di Pisa e Messina a Medinet Madi: 1998-2005

Edda Bresciani, Antonio Giammarusti
La scoperta del tempio "C" ovvero tempio doppio di Sobek
Religione. La nursery per i coccodrilli Sobek nel Tempio C (1999). Gli ultimi coccodrilli di Medinet Madi

Antonio Giammarusti
Rilevo del tempio "C"

Ritrovamenti

Flora Silvano
Vetri romani dai recenti scavi a Medinet Madi

Appendice

Giovanna Bartoli
Catalogo del materiale ceramico dal tempio "C"

CAPITOLO QUARTO
L'attività dell'Università di Pisa e Messina a Medinet Madi: 1999, 2000-2004

Edda Bresciani
Quartiere a sud del tempio "C"

Antonio Giammarusti
La città

Ritrovamenti

Rosario Pintaudi – Dati per la compilazione di un oroscopo in un papiro di Narmuthis

Angiolo Menchetti – Papiri e ostraka in demotico, ieratico e geroglifico da Medinet Madi

Georges Nachtergael, Rosario Pintaudi – in Analecta Papyrologica XIV-XV, 2002-2003, pp. 296-297

Daniele Castrizio – Le monete da Medinet Madi,misione 2001

Flora Silvano – Faïence con decorazione a rilievo dal Fayum

F. Silvano, M.P. Colombini, F. Modugno, E. Ribichini – Roman amphorae from Fayum oasis (Medinet Madi)

M.P. Colombini. C. Colombo, F. Modugno, F. Silvano, E. Ribichini, L. Toniolo - Chemical characterization of Egyptian amphorae from Fayum

Simona Russo – Calzature da Medinet Madi

Varia

Georges Nachtergael-Rosario Pintaudi - Documents de fouilles en provenance de Narmouthis

Appendice I

Michele Pipan - Indagini geofische integrate ad alta risoluzione nel Fayum sus-occidentale

Appendice II

Gianluigi Nicola, Roberto G. Arosio - Controlli e interventi restauro compiuti nel 1989

Per ricevere il volume o per cambi scrivere a : bresciani@sta.unipi.it

D. DELATTRE, Philodème de Gadara, Sur la musique, livre IV

Philodème de Gadara, Sur la musique, livre IV
Introduction, texte, traduction, notes et indices par
Daniel Delattre

Première édition d’un rouleau d’Herculanum à avoir pu bénéficier de l’apport considérable de la photographie multispectrale (infrarouge) pour la lecture des volumina carbonisés lors de l’éruption du Vésuve de 79, elle est aussi la première à proposer la reconstruction d’un rouleau antique dans toute son extension, depuis son titre initial jusqu’à ses titres finaux. Écrit d’un philosophe épicurien contemporain de Cicéron, ce livre présente une revue critique détaillée des arguments défendus un siècle plus tôt par le stoïcien Diogène de Babylone en faveur du caractère divin et de l’utilité universelle de la musique.
L’édition est précédée d’une Introduction générale à l’œuvre de Philodème, ainsi que d’une présentation des divers aspects de la papyrologie d’Herculanum.

Cet ouvrage est complété par un CD-Rom gratuit « Les Sources documentaires du Livre IV des Commentaires sur la musique de Philodème », qui est à réclamer lors de toute commande aux Belles-Lettres ou d’achat à la Librairie Guillaume Budé (95, bd Raspail - 75006 Paris).
Le CD-Rom, conçu et réalisé par D. Delattre avec la collaboration technique de L. Capron, offre la documentation complète (papyrus original conservé et dessins de Naples et d’Oxford) relative au premier des rouleaux d’Herculanum à avoir été déroulé (en 1754). Celle-ci se présente sous la forme d’une maquette virtuelle des 152 colonnes que comportait le rouleau avant son démembrement. Découpée par commodité en sections de 5 colonnes, la maquette permet de visualiser la reconstruction bibliologique du volumen carbonisé proposée par l’éditeur. Un simple clic de souris sur la partie de colonne examinée donne directement accès à l’image multispectrale de l’original lorsque celui-ci subsiste.

L’auteur

Daniel Delattre est Directeur de recherche à l’IRHT, membre de la Section de Papyrologie. Il a reçu le prix Th. Mommsen en 2006 pour son livre La Villa des Papyrus et les rouleaux d’Herculanum. La Bibliothèque de Philodème (Éditions de l’Université de Liège [ULG], 2006 [Cahiers du CeDoPaL, 4)].

Voir à propos de ses recherches sur Philodème de Gadara :

Daniel Delattre, « La papyrologie d’Herculanum révolutionnée par l’imagerie multispectrale : une technologie de pointe mise au service du déchiffrement des textes (à partir des Commentaires sur la musique, IV de Philodème) », dans Le manuscrit dans tous ses états, cycle thématique 2005-2006 de l’IRHT, S. Fellous, C. Heid, M.-H. Jullien, T. Buquet, éds., Paris, IRHT, 2006 (Ædilis, Actes, 12).
[En ligne] http://aedilis.irht.cnrs.fr/manuscrit/papyrologie-herculanum.htm

Référence bibliographique

Philodème de Gadara, Sur la musique, Livre IV, éd. Daniel delattre, Paris, les Belles Lettres, 2007 (Collections des universités de France. Série grecque, 457), 2 t., 1120 p. +CD-Rom.

***

English abstract

The first edition of a text from Herculaneum to have benefited from the considerable contribution of multi-spectral imaging (infra-red) in reading the volumina, carbonised at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, this is also the first edition to offer a complete reconstruction of a Herculanean volumen from beginning to end. Written by an Epicurean philosopher, a contemporary of Cicero, this book presents a detailed critical revue of the arguments, defended a century earlier by the Stoic Diogenes of Babylon, in favour of the divine character and universal utility of music.
The text is preceded by a general introduction to the œuvre of Philodemus and a discussion of the diverse aspects of Herculaneum papyrology.

This work is accompanied by a free CD-Rom, ‘Les Sources documentaires du Livre IV des Commentaires sur la musique de Philodème’ which may be claimed at the time of ordering from Les Belles-Lettres, or when purchasing from La Librairie Guillaume Budé (95, bd Raspail – 75006 Paris).
The CD-Rom, conceived and produced by D. Delattre with technical collaboration from L. Capron, contains the complete literature (original papyrus as it is preserved and drawings from Naples and Oxford) of the first of the Herculaneum scrolls to have been unrolled (in 1754). It presents, in the form of page lay-outs, the 152 columns which made up the papyrus roll before it was broken up. Divided for convenience into sections of 5 columns, the lay-outs enable one to visualize the reconstruction of the carbonised sections as proposed by the editor. A simple click of the mouse on the part of the column to be examined gives direct access to the multi-spectral image of the original as it survives.



Source: Archaeogate

REVIEW: Peter Nadig, Zwischen König und Karikatur

Peter Nadig, Zwischen König und Karikatur. Das Bild Ptolemaios' VIII. im Spannungsfeld der Überlieferung. Münchener Beiträge zur Papyrusforschung und antiken Rechtsgeschichte 97. Munich: C.H. Beck, 2007. Pp. vii, 306. ISBN 978-3-406-55949-5. €74.00.

Reviewed by Paul Edmund Stanwick, New York City (pstan5@earthlink.net)
Word count: 1037 words

Although there are innumerable treatments of the life of Cleopatra the Great, few books take other individual Ptolemaic rulers as their exclusive subject. In his volume, Peter Nadig writes about Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II (reigned in Egypt, 170-163, 145-116 B.C.), one of the longest ruling and most notorious of the Ptolemies. As the subtitle of the book suggests ("Between King and Caricature"), one of Nadig's goals is to critically examine the veracity of the caricatured image that comes across in the Greek and Roman sources on the king. Among other things, these ancient authors call him Physkon, which can be translated as "pot belly" or "fatso." Athenaeus, for example, comments that the king's belly was so large that it was difficult to measure.1 These authors also emphasize the king's acts of cruelty, ruthlessness, and extravagance. Diodorus Siculus notes that Ptolemy VIII killed his son born by his sister-wife and then sent the dismembered remains to her.
more at BMCR

More information at C.H. Beck Verlag

"Robot Scans Ancient Manuscript in 3-D" Iliad Venetus-A

After a thousand years stuck on a dusty library shelf, the oldest copy of Homer's Iliad is about to go into digital circulation.
A team of scholars traveled to a medieval library in Venice to create an ultra-precise 3-D copy of the ancient manuscript -- complete with every wrinkle, rip and imperfection -- using a laser scanner mounted on a robot arm.
A high-resolution, 3-D copy of the entire 645-page parchment book, plus a searchable transcription, will be made available online under a Creative Commons license.
the rest at Wired.com

ROYSE, Scribal Habits in Early Greek New Testament Papyri

Scribal Habits in Early Greek New Testament Papyri
James R. Royse

Publication year: 2007
Series: New Testament Tools, Studies and Documents, 36
ISBN-13 (i): 978 90 04 16181 8
ISSN: 0077-8842
Cover: Hardback
Number of pages: xxx, 1058 pp.
List price: € 265.00 / US$ 369.00


In textual criticism, the 'scribal habits' in a manuscript (tendencies to make various sorts of changes) must be known in order to evaluate its testimony. Colwell analyzed the scribal habits in P45, P66, and P75, by examining their singular readings. This book expands on Colwell's work by studying P45, P46, P47, P66, P72, and P75, the six most extensive early New Testament manuscripts. All the singular readings in these papyri are studied along with all the corrections. The results, which incorporate many revised readings of these papyri, make possible the more precise use of these papyri in textual criticism. Among the important discoveries is that the general tendency of these early scribes was to omit rather than to add.



Source:
EvText.Crit. blog

CONFERENCE: Nomads, Tribes, and the State in the Ancient Near East: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives

Nomads, Tribes, and the State in the Ancient Near East: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives
Organized by Jeffrey Szuchman
The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
1155 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
March 7–8, 2008

A Bedouin encampment (large tent of the sheikh and smaller ones of the clan). Taken either by the American Colony Photo Department or its successor the Matson Photo Service (between 1898 and 1946). Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-matpc-05979
Conference Abstract and Participants

What was the relationship between pastoral nomadic tribes and sedentary peoples in the ancient Near East? After decades of research, scholars are more aware than ever of the challenges posed by this deceptively simple question. Textual biases, poor archaeological visibility of nomadic remains, and tenuous ethnographic parallels all pose obstacles to reconstructing the complex dynamics of tribe-state interactions in antiquity. This conference brings together a diverse group of archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists to explore new ways of approaching the study of nomadic populations and encounters between tribes and states. Although great strides have recently been made in the study of these issues, new approaches have called into question the very categories we use to describe tribe-state interactions. Furthermore, archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians have been addressing these issues in relative isolation. This conference thus offers a unique opportunity to set an agenda for the study of ancient Near Eastern nomadism from a cross-disciplinary perspective. The first steps will be to assess the current state of research on ancient pastoral nomadism, tribes and the state, and to reach a consensus about the use and misuse of data and terminology. Once a common framework is established, we can begin to address new theoretical and methodological approaches to the lingering questions of tribe-state interactions. A central aim of the conference is to equip attendees to apply the diverse techniques of various fields and various regions of the Near East to their own work. The two-day conference is organized with those goals in mind. The emphasis of the conference will be as much on discussion and debate as on the presentations themselves. Papers will be circulated among participants in advance of the conference and there will be ample opportunity for response and discussion. Publication of the proceedings of this conference is made possible through the generous support of the Arthur and Lee Herbst Research Fund.




One paper is notable for our time period:

Hans Barnard (Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA)
The Archaeology of Pastoral Nomadism in Roman Egypt

A recent study of Eastern Desert Ware, which included chemical analysis of the ceramic matrix and the organic residues in the vessels, as well as ethnography and experimental archaeology, indicated that Eastern Desert Ware was probably made and used by a group of pastoral nomads, but did not provide any evidence towards their identification or association with any specific group mentioned in the textual sources. This is partly due to the emphasis on the Pharaonic and Greco-Roman remains in the desert areas, where little research has been done on the ephemeral campsites of the pastoral nomads living in the same region. The archaeological study of the latter requires a specialized approach, combining the study of ephemeral campsites and low-density surface scatters with data on the environment, the available resources and the routes of the nomads. This methodology will be very similar for the study of pastoral nomads, mobile groups of hunter-gatherers or sections of a settled population that have temporarily been displaced. Specialists in these fields should work together to come to an archaeology of mobility to increase our understanding of people on the move.

Sitta von REDEN, Money in Ptolemaic Egypt

Money in Ptolemaic Egypt
From the Macedonian Conquest to the End of the Third Century BC
Sitta von Reden
Universität Augsburg
Hardback

(ISBN-13: 9780521852647)

Blurb from CUP
First book to explore the impact of Alexander the Great’s introduction of coined money on the economy and society of Egypt and its political implications for the formation of the Ptolemaic state. It argues that the introduction of coinage happened slowly, spreading gradually from Alexandria into the chora. Under Ptolemy II, however, Egypt was aggressively monetised. Using both numismatic and papyrological evidence, the workings of a rural monetary economy are reconstructed where coinage was in high demand but short supply. It is argued that by the middle of the third century BC Egypt was much more thoroughly monetised than is usually assumed, but that the degree of monetisation was sustained only by an extensive credit economy as well as ad hoc commutation of monetary payments into kind. Contextualising the complexities of credit and banking in rural Egypt, the book offers a new picture of their function in the ancient economy.

• Makes accessible the very rich but complicated evidence for the economy of Ptolemaic Egypt

• Describes the complexities of money use, credit and banking in a rural economy and society

• Makes a significant contribution to the debate on the ancient economy
Contents

Introduction; 1. Questions and issues; 2. The historical background; Part I. Money and Coinage: 1. The money of the King; 2. Monetising the countryside; Part II. Cash and Kind: 3. Taxes; 4. Bronze and silver; 5. Rents; 6. Wages; Part III. Debt and Credit: 7. Formal loans (List 1-2); 8. Extending the credit economy (Lists 3-5); 9. Leases and labour contracts; 10. Credit in a social context; Part IV. Banking: 11. Banks and money supply; 12. Banking and business; Conclusion; Appendices.

REVIEW: Ancient Economies, Modern Methodologies

Peter F. Bang, Mamoru Ikeguchi, Harmut G. Ziche, Ancient Economies, Modern Methodologies: Archaeology, Comparative History, Models and Institutions. Bari: Edipuglia, 2006. Pp. 278. ISBN 978-88-7228-488-9. €40.00.

Reviewed by Alex Gottesman, Bryn Mawr College (agottesman@brynmawr.edu)
Word count: 2270 words

This volume is the product of an international conference of economic historians and archaeologists held in 2002 at the University of Cambridge. The editors invited participants "to check the pulse of ancient economic history" (8)...
... (read more at BMCR)

Only one chapter explicitly deals with Egypt, (Sitta von Reden, "The Ancient Economy and Ptolemaic Egypt"), about which the reviewer says nothing.
Egypt is a constant reference point, however, especially in Peter Fibiger Bang, "Imperial Bazaar" (which is mentioned in the review) and Willem Jongman, "The rise and fall of the Roman economy: population, rents, and entitlement."

The book can be fully searched at Google book Search

Neville Morley, "Narrative economy";

Peter Fibiger Bang, "Imperial Bazaar: towards a comparative understanding of markets in the Roman Empire";

Jorgen Christian Meyer, "Trade in Bronze Age and Iron Age Empires, a comparison";

Kevin Greene, "Archaeological data and economic interpretation";

Mamoru Ikeguchi, "A method for interpreting and comparing field survey data";

Sitta von Reden, "The Ancient Economy and Ptolemaic Egypt";

Viviane Baesens, "Royal taxation and religious tribute in Hellenistic Palestine";

Jean Andreau, "Roman law in relation to banking and business: a few cases";

Elio Lo Cascio, "The role of the state in the Roman economy: making use of the new institutional economics";

Willem Jongman, "The rise and fall of the Roman economy: population, rents, and entitlement";

Hartmut G. Ziche, "Integrating late Roman cities, countryside and trade".

ASP session at the APA Sat. Jan 5. and Egypt at the AIA

SECTION45 COLUMBUS HALL IJ
CULTURE AND SOCIETY IN GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT
SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PAPYROLOGISTS
MARYLINEG. PARCA, ORGANIZER
In its annual panel, the American Society of
Papyrologists endeavors to highlight the richness,
variety and importance of the resources of papyrology
as original records of the history, culture and society of
Egypt from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods to late
antiquity. This session offers a selection of papers that
reflects the variety of topics—political, social, economic,
religious, legal, grammatical and literary—that Demotic
and Greek papyri document and illuminate.

1. Andrew Monson, Stanford University
The Fiscal Regime in Transition: Private Land from
Ptolemaic to Roman Egypt (15 mins.)

2. Joseph Manning, Stanford University
The Logic of Receipts (15 mins.)

3. Foy Scalf, The University of Chicago
Religious Significance of the Formulaic Demotic
Funerary Texts from Roman Egypt (15 mins.)

4. Stephen Bay, Brigham Young University
Postponement of Conjunctive gar in the Papyri
(15 mins.)

5. Raffaella Cribiore, Columbia University
Menander the Poet or Menander Rhetor? An Encomium of Dioscorus Again (15 mins.)

6. Sabine Hübner, Columbia University
The “In-Marrying Son-in-Law.” Perspectives on Family Strategies and Old Age Support in Roman Egypt (15 mins.)

NB
Friday, Jan. 4
CRITICAL EDITIONS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
1. Dirk Obbink, University of Oxford
Editing Classical Commentary (5 mins.)

EGYPT at the AIA

Nursing Mothers in Greek and Roman Medicine
Julie Laskaris, University of Richmond

This paper explores the use in Greek and Roman medicine of a substance with strong symbolic meaning—human milk. Of earlier Greek sources, human milk, sometimes specifically from "one who has borne a male child" (kourotrophos-usually a religious term), appears only in gynaecological texts. In works arising in a Roman context, it is recommended for both sexes. The use of human milk in Greek medicine was an adaptation of Egyptian practices, where the "milk of one who has borne a male child" is poured from an anthropomorphic vase of Isis nursing Horus, and thereby transformed into a divine mother's milk. Such vases, some perhaps of Greek manufacture, were found in Geometric/orientalizing contexts in areas in contact with Egypt. This, together with evidence for Isis worship in Greece, suggests Greek knowledge of this ritual. Owing to Etruscan influence, Roman society was less polarized sexually than Greek, and more accepting of women's physical nature. The Etruscans' and Romans' rich tradition of depicting nursing mothers stands in sharp contrast to Greek chariness about depicting the female breast (L. Bonfante, "Nursing Mothers in Classical Art," in Naked Truths: Women, Sexuality, and Gender in Classical Art and Archaeology, [London and New York, 1997], 174-196.) Likewise, in medical works arising in the Roman context, human milk therapies lose their gender-specificity. Thus we see that medical practice, too, may vary with varying symbolic meanings.

Reconstructing the Past: Insula of the Papyri at Tebtunis, Egypt
D.J. Ian Begg, Trent University and Todd Brenningmeyer, Maryville University

Tebtunis was a Graeco-Roman sanctuary town in the Fayyum basin southwest of Cairo. In 1934 Gilbert Bagnani found an enormous deposit of papyri in a large rectangular complex, the Insula of the Papyri. Six houses of identical plans, two magazines and two granaries were among the enclosed structures excavated. Although Roman in date within a Greek settlement, the plan resembles Egyptian walled compounds of the Middle Kingdom. Unfortunately, a full report of the original excavations and plans of the architecture were never published. After Bagnani's excavations, wind, sand, and time eroded, reburied, or removed many walls. The original form, dimension, and configuration of much of the architecture uncovered by Bagnani now exist only in terrestrial photographs and two series of overlapping aerial images that were taken in 1934 and 1936. A project to reconstruct the architecture using the terrestrial and aerial photos, recently acquired Quickbird satellite imagery, softcopy photogrammetric tools, and GIS is currently underway. The aerial images provide a photogrammetrically accurate depiction of the site as it appeared when first uncovered. Architectural details including wall heights, widths, and excavated room volumes are mensurated and reconstructed using photogrammetric techniques. The combination of archived stereo-imagery and terrestrial photos with more recent data provides an opportunity to look directly into the past and reconstruct the walls as they appeared when first uncovered. The poster presents the process and preliminary results of the effort to reconstruct one part of Tebtunis digitally from the old and new types of imagery


At Empire's Edge: Roman Depictions of the "Other" Before and After Conquest
Maria Swetnam-Burland, Portland State University

Representations of conquered peoples and symbols of their defeat could be found throughout Rome, from spolia in temples to obelisks in public porticoes to karyatid-like sculptures of barbarians bearing the weight of imperial monuments. In this paper, I examine an evolution in the uses and meanings of symbols of the conquered in representations of foreign lands before and after Roman conquest. I focus particularly on a representation of Egypt from Karanis. Such representations changed after the battle of Actium from displaying a quasi-anthropological interest in Egyptian culture to exhibiting a condescending, almost mocking, attitude. I contend that in the early empire, the definition of "Egyptian" expanded to include areas just beyond Roman control, hence, at the edge of the known world. Early imperial representations of Egypt differ from representations of other conquered peoples because of Egypt's long-standing ties with Rome. While contemporary representations of other barbarian peoples illustrated the civilizing influence of Roman culture, representations of Egypt from this period ignored the realities of life under Roman rule. At the same time, representations of Egypt and other territories illustrate, though in different ways, how Romans living in Italy redefined their position at the heart of an expanding empire, and reflect a common legitimizing strategy that highlighted the benefits to Rome of the flow of needed resources from the edges of the empire to the capital city.

Rituals of Destruction and Agents of Iconoclasm in the Late Roman Empire
Troels Myrup Kristensen, University of Aarhus

Most studies of early Christian destruction of pagan sculpture have focused on exceptionally extensive and laborious cases, such as can be observed at Sperlonga. These destructive acts are usually attributed to monks, Christian fanatics, or furious mobs, all of which are stereotypes derived from the literary sources. This paper discusses the rich and varied archaeological material for early Christian iconoclasm from the eastern Mediterranean, with special emphasis on Turkey and southern Egypt. It shows that the destruction and mutilation of statues was carried out in a multitude of ways by a broad spectrum of agents and with a wide variety of meanings. Systematic destruction of pagan statuary, never advocated by imperial legislation, was rarely practiced. Rather, a picture emerges of selective destruction, both of the monuments targeted and the different ways they were targeted. The various forms of selective destruction are highly informative of the agents responsible and make it possible to interpret their motives. The temples of southern Egypt thus present several cases of ritual destruction that can be connected with local traditions of pilgrimage. Early Christian iconoclasm is therefore best understood in both its religious and social context, especially at the local and regional levels.

Sand and Coral: The Late Roman Houses of Berenike, Egypt
Jennifer E. Gates, University of Cambridge

The absence of scientifically excavated household contexts from Late Roman Egypt has long hindered the comparative analysis of household dynamics outside the nexus of Alexandria. In recent decades, however, Late Roman residential units have been systematically examined in widely varying regions of the Egyptian countryside, offering glimpses into the diverse morphology of house forms and regional differences in the organization of space. Much of this new work has occurred outside the Nile Valley in oasis towns and desert settlements, material with its own special regional situation on the margins of Egyptian society. As a case study, this paper brings together recently excavated material from the Late Roman town quarter of Berenike, on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, and considers its relationship to Late Roman housing forms in the Fayyum, Alexandria, and the oases of the Western Desert. Through close analysis of architectural form and construction, as well as the excavated contents of the Berenike quarter, issues of site formation, the organization of space and activity areas are considered in the context of the site as a whole, and in relation to structures of comparable date in other parts of Egypt. Through this analysis, assumptions about the social organization of life at Late Roman Berenike are examined and the larger contribution of household studies to our understanding of social behavior is considered in an Egyptian context.

REVIEW of Adam Łajtar, Deir el-Bahari in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods

Adam Łajtar, Deir el-Bahari in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods: A Study of an Egyptian Temple Based on Greek Sources. The Journal of Juristic Papyrology, Suppl. IV. Warsaw: Institute of Archaeology, Warsaw University and Fundacja im. Rafala Taubenschlaga, 2006. Pp. xviii, 462; ills. 28. ISBN 10: 83-918250-3-5. ISBN 13: 978-83-918250-3-7. $119.00.

Reviewed by Gil H. Renberg, Washington University in St. Louis (grenberg@artsci.wustl.edu)
Word count: 3485 words

Few new publications should be of as much interest to scholars of ancient religion as epigraphical corpora devoted to the finds from individual sanctuaries, especially those sites omitted from our literary sources. Among these is the Egyptian sanctuary of Amenhotep son of Hapu and Imhotep at Deir el-Bahari, where a rich collection of scratched and painted wall inscriptions composed primarily in Greek and Demotic illuminates the beliefs and practices of those visiting the site during the Ptolemaic, Roman, and Late Antique periods. It is the 323 Greek graffiti and dipinti, representing roughly 60 percent of the surviving total, that are the subject of this outstandingly interesting and useful new corpus by Adam Łajtar. Łajtar (henceforth L.) has participated in Polish and Polish-Egyptian missions at Deir el-Bahari over a period of two decades, and the great investment of time both on site and in the library shows: the publication is an exemplary work that should be emulated by others undertaking work on a corpus of artifacts linked to a particular site, whether inscribed or uninscribed.
more at BMCR

Second International Summer School in Coptic Papyrology

from the Evangelical Textual Criticism weblog:

An International Summer School in Coptic Papyrology, the second one of its kind after Vienna 2006, will be held in Leipzig from 27 July to 3 August 2008. It will be organised by the Papyrus Collection of the University Library and the Egyptological Institute of the University of Leipzig. Students and graduates from fields such as Coptology, Egyptology, papyrology, religious studies, ancient history, Arabic studies, or Byzantine studies are invited to participate, provided they have aquired a solid knowledge of Coptic. There will be two classes to apply for, one on literary (biblical and hagiographical) and and one on documentary (legal, epistolary, etc.) Coptic papyri. Students will have the opportunity to work on unpublished original papyri. A fee of € 250,- will include accommodation in a nearby residence hall (Villa Tillmanns), daily breakfast and lunch. The number of places is restricted to 20.


the rest at ETC