::Zenon Papyrus line 1::

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Notes on line 1:

Some of the problems with this text are immediately apparent. The letters are a bit smudged in this first line, and the quickness of the cursive hand can make it difficult to distinguish between the letters, particulalry in the second word. The first letter is not a letter at all, but an L shaped symbol (an itus), that means "year". This is followed by two letters to indicate what year the document was submitted. The next letter is a lambda, which is followed by an alpha. The lambda = 30, while the alpha = 1, so the document dates to year 31.

 

At the halfway point of the page, you can see two other letters that have a horizontal bar above then. This indicates a number, here, the date of the month of Ather. If the iota = 10, can you guess what this date is?

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