Funfundzwanzig griechicsche Papyri aus den Sammlungen von Heidelberg, Wien and Kairo (P.Heid. VII).

• Author: van Minnen, Peter
• Position: Review

Edited by AMPHILOCHIOS PAPATHOMAS. Veroffentlichungen aus der Heidelberger Papyrus-Sammlung, n.F., Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, phil.-hist. KI., vol. 8. Heidelberg: UNIVERSITATSVERLAG C. WINTER, 1996. Pp. xv + 259, 24 plates. DM 138, OS 1021.

In this volume A. Papathomas publishes twenty-two miscellaneous papyri from Egypt, mostly from the Heidelberg collection (five are from Vienna, one is from Cairo). The twenty-two papyri bear twenty-seven Greek documentary texts, of which twenty-six are presented in full. Of these, twenty-five are numbered 387-411 and continue the series of papyri from Heidelberg known as P. Heid. I-VI. (For full. details on these and other publications of Greek papyri from Heidelberg, see http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/papyrus/texts/clist.html.)

The texts in this volume date from the third century B.C. to the seventh century A.D., derive from all over Egypt, and cover a whole range of topics. The introductions and commentaries contain a wealth of useful details, but they are not easily accessible because there is no index of topics (pp. 239-50 are entitled "Wort- und Sachindex," but in fact only list Greek words). All those interested in Greek documentary texts will have to make do with the table of contents. The papyri may be briefly described here.

Nos. 387-95 are all from the late third century B.C. Nos. 387-89 are directed to the same person, Automedon, presumably a sitologos in charge of a state granary in the Arsinoite nome in 212 B.C. The first two texts contain orders to supply certain quantities of, presumably, wheat. No. 389 forwards an official letter. Two correspondents of Automedon, Zephyros and Nikanor, may be known from other texts, as oikonomos and epimeletes of the Arsinoite nome, respectively; in that case Zephyros was in office from 212-204 B.C. Nos. 390-92 relate to declarations of property and perhaps all date from 209 or 208 B.C., when a census of property took place in Egypt. The first text is a declaration directed to Zephyros, the last, previously described as P. Cair. 10295, a supplementary declaration directed to Apollonios the epimeletes of the Arsinoite nome. Zephyros is the author of no. 393, one of the few complete texts in this volume, in which he orders Dikaios, a police officer from Moithymis in the Memphite nome, known from other texts, to send a bath attendant back to the Arsinoite nome (the editor reads [Greek text omitted] in lines 2-3, an odd phrase, but the papyrus...