30 Aug. 1921
[N.B. The time at my disposal has not permitted of more than an extremely
hasty examination of these papyri, and no time could be spared for deciphering
in any detail the more imperfect or illegible documents. In particular
the later numbers were very curiously dealt with. The measurements are
only rough, as the majority of the papyri have not been damped out.
The papyri are arranged and numbered accordingly to the packets in which
they came.]
Including the four specimens already sent seperately by Nahman and
the fragments included in Packet 5, these papyri number 141, the majority
of which are well preserved. There can be no doubt that they formed
the contents of a single archive that of the combined γραφειον
of Tebtunis of Kerkesouchon Oros, in the Fayum, Div. of Polemon. Some
documents, come indeed from the γραφειον of Talei and Theogonies, but
probably these were found in the same place as the others; perhaps the
Talei γραφειον was not sufficiently
important to have its own archive but deposited its documents at Tebtunis.
The dates of the documents range from Tiberius (one
two only I have noticed of Augustus) to Claudius. Probably the whole
collection was found not in the rubbish-heap but in the ruins of the
γραφειον-building.
A larger number of the papyri have the larger (upper) part blank, and
contain only the subscriptions to documents never writtern. In some
cases the rotary scribe has written the date at the
top and sometimes personal notes memoranda describing
the parties to contract for subsequent incorporation in the body of
the deed have been jotted down in the margins.
The explanation I would tentatively suggest is as follows: -the γραφειον
retained, for purposes of record, a copy of each deed executed in it.
In many, perhaps most, cases, however, the parties, having stated the
nature of the transaction, were instructed by the officials, of the
γραφειον to write their subscriptions at the foot of blank sheets of
papyrus. The deed would be written later; but often instead of writing
out in full the deed in both copies, the scribes filled in only the
copy or copies to be retained by the parties, regarding the subscription
alone as sufficient for the office copy. [The reverse procedure would
be more intelligible; but if these were themselves εκδοϲιμα,
given to the parties, it is difficult to account for their presence
in one place.] This was certainly an abuse, but it is difficult to see
account otherwise for the large proportion of papyri bearing subscriptions
only. In some cases εκδοϲιμον is written
in the blank space or at the top, implying that an authorized copy had
been issued, and [once or twice] an obscure note εκκολζ
occurs instead. The whole question requires more detailed investigation
than I have had opportunity for.
It will be seen that the collection is of great value as illustrating
the day-to-day procedure in a γραφειον
of an Egyptian village. It is desirable either that the collection should
be kept undivided or that, if it is divided arrangements should be made
for a joint literary publication of all the papyri
comprized in it. The one literary papyrus (I.2) is of course an exception
to this.
The Demotic contracts have been examined by Sir Herbert Thompson, whose
description (and with a rough translation of one of
them) accompanies this list.
The Four Specimen Papyri
1. Subscription to a cession (παραχωρησις)
of catoecic land. Tebtunis. 1 Claudius perfect, 11 1/2 " x 1 ft. 1".
2. Loan of money. Tebtunis. 12 Claudius. Perfect. 11 1/4" x 7".
3. Subscr. to sale of house property. 16 [Tiberius?]. Perfect. 11 1/2" x 8
3/4".
4. Sale of land. Theogonis. Probably Tiberius. Slightly imperf. on left. 11
1/4" x 11 1/2".
Here follows Packets I-V:
Packet I
27 pieces
Packet II
25 pieces
Packet III
26 pieces
Packet IV
27 pieces
Packet V
16 pieces
H. I. Bell
British Museum
