A School Exercise & Biblical Texts

P. Mich. Inv. 926, folio 4v, 5r 

A school exercise book written in the Coptic dialect of Bohairic. The source of the book is believed to be Theadelphia, and the papyrus is dated to around the fourth century. Two nearly intact sheets and one fragmented sheet survive. This fragment is accompanied by a thread bundle that appears to have a knot mixed in; the gutter or fold region of the papyrus fragment is so closely written, and riddled with holes and loss areas that it is impossible to pick out a system of sewing holes, whether through the fold or through the side. The online database APIS (The Advanced Papyrological Information System)  describes this item, including an interesting discussion of fiber orientation of papyrus sheets when used for a codex. 

P. Mich. Inv. 926, folio 4v, 5r

P. Mich. Inv. 3992

Here is evidence of fairly consistent holes pierced in the fold area of two different sheet fragments from the same codex, one consisting of only the spine area of what was once a folded sheet and the other a fragmented but more intact sheet, unfolded. In a note about 3992, former curator Elinor Husselman indicates that the text is written in Coptic, contained several Biblical texts, and is dated to the third or fourth century. (Husselman, “The Collection of Papyri,” 3–24). In APIS, there is a brief note about the content: fragments of an early codex containing parts of John, the Pauline epistles, Psalms, and Isaiah.

P. Mich. Inv. 3992