P.CtYBR inv. 5087: A Strange New Papyrus from Oxyrhynchus

4/5/2015

P.CtYBR inv 5087 is the strangest yet most interesting papyrus I have ever worked on. This little papyrus slip, which was acquired by Yale University in 1997 from Gallery Nefer, Zurich, consists of three lines of text, and dates to the third century C.E. It is interesting because nothing else like it is attested in the papyrological record. The text runs as follows:

ἐπ᾽ ἀμφόδου Ἑρμαίου
Παποντῶς Πετοσείριος
μητρὸς Τσεναφύγχεως

In the quarter of Hermaion
Papontos son of Petosiris
mother Tsenaphunchis

The “quarter of Hermaion” was a well-known amphodon in the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus. The amphoda were metropolitan districts usually named after local sanctuaries and professions. They were used to locate persons and property in Egyptian cities that would have been difficult to navigate. One can therefore understand why they were useful indicators in registrations: “so-and-so son of so-and-so in the quarter of so-and-so.” This bit of information is important because it means that the provenance of this papyrus is secure: it hails from Oxyrhynchus.

The ultimate question concerning this little papyrus is: for what purpose was it created? Who used it? In what context was it used? There is nothing else exactly like it, which makes any interpretation open for debate. Obviously, Papontos is somehow connected with the quarter of Hermaion. But why this information is given on this papyrus is open to question.

So, why do you think this papyrus was created? I will leave you in suspense for a little while and come back later with my thoughts. My edition of this interesting papyrus slip has been accepted and is forthcoming in the next issue of the Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists. While we probably cannot know precisely the purpose of this papyrus, I think I have a pretty good idea!

P.CtYBR. inv. 5087

Timothy N Mitchell link

4/5/2015 03:57:12 pm

It is hard to see in the picture, but it looks like it was folded around something (?) like a parcel. The papyrus reads like an address for a courier that was attached to an item for delivery.

Brice C. Jones link

4/5/2015 04:08:17 pm

That's an interesting thought, Timothy. I suppose the difficulty with that idea is that no address begins "in the quarter." Addresses always begin with "to so-and-so," with the name in the dative.

4/5/2015 04:50:57 pm

Ah-yes, very true.

Alba de Frutos

4/5/2015 09:45:02 pm

I would say: is this some kind of forensic report? Lines 2-3 might reveal the name and identity of the dead body while first line points to the place where this body was found.

Kindest regards!

4/6/2015 12:22:59 am

Alba, this is really a good idea! The problem is that the kind of "report" you mention was common: it was called a mummy ticket. These would have listed the name of the deceased, a patronymic/matronymic, and sometimes the age and place of residence. However, none of these begin in the way our papyrus does so I think we can rule out a mummy ticket. I think the first line plays the most important role in this papyrus: "in the quarter of Hermaion."

David Meadows link

4/6/2015 02:42:37 am

Perhaps it's a 'receipt' for an epikrisis declaration?

4/7/2015 08:56:20 am

That's an interesting thought.

James Snapp, Jr. link

4/6/2015 05:30:06 pm

Perhaps it is the ancient equivalent of a raffle-ticket.

4/7/2015 08:57:02 am

That actually crossed my mind in trying to figure this piece out.

GW Schwendner

4/11/2015 11:43:34 am

Why third century?

4/11/2015 12:07:27 pm

From the edition: "The hand can be dated to the third century, based on several dated comparanda: P.Oxy. 31.2567 (253), P.Oxy. 74.4997 (254), P.Oxy. 34.2714 (256). The close graphic similarity of these hands suggests that these scribes had comparable training; it is possible that they also worked in the same office."

Gregg Schwendner

4/12/2015 02:31:23 pm

An interesting conclusion.

tony in san diego

4/19/2015 12:40:19 pm

I think it was sewn into his underwear when he went away to summer camp!

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P.CtYBR inv. 5087: A Strange New Papyrus from Oxyrhynchus

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