ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MANUSCRIPTS BROUGHT FROM EGYPT BY MR. GREY.
I am impatient to turn, from every thing of a polemical or personal
nature, to a field that has hitherto been exclusively in my own
possession, in consequence of an event, which is the most important,
considered as a single occurrence, that has taken place since the
commencement of my Egyptian researches. It was very soon after my
return from France, that George Francis Grey, Esq. of University
College, Oxford, having been at Naples upon his return from Egypt,
was so good as to bring me a few lines from my old friend Sir William
Gell, himself a very successful traveller, and who has always pursued
with ardour the last vestiges of the interesting remains of antiquity,
both by his personal exertions, and by assisting and directing the
enterprises of others.
Mr. Grey had the kindness, on the 22d of November last, to leave
with me a box, containing several fine specimens of writing and
drawing on papyrus; they were chiefly in hieroglyphics, and of a
mythological nature: but the two which he had before described to me,
as particularly deserving attention, and which were brought, through
his judicious precautions, in excellent preservation, both contained
some Greek characters, written apparently in a pretty legible hand.
He had purchased them of an Arab at Thebes, in January 1820; and that
which was most intelligible had appeared, at first sight, to contain
some words relating to the service of the Christian church. Mr. Grey
was so good as to give me leave to make any use of these manuscripts
that I pleased; and he readily consented to their insertion among the
lithographic copies of the “Hieroglyphics, collected by the Egyptian
Society,” which I had undertaken to superintend from time to time, in
great measure for the private use of an association of my own friends,
not sufficiently numerous to insure any permanent stability to its
continuance.
Mr. Champollion had done me the favour, while I was at Paris, to copy
for me some parts of the very important papyrus, which I have before
mentioned as having given him the name of Cleopatra; and of which the
discovery was certainly a great event in Egyptian literature, since it
was the first time that any intelligible characters, of the enchorial
form, had been discovered among the many manuscripts and inscriptions
that had been examined, and since it furnished Mr. Champollion at the
same time with a name, which materially advanced, if I understood him
rightly, the steps that have led him to his very important extension of
the hieroglyphical alphabet. He had mentioned to me, in conversation,
the names of Apollonius, “Antiochus,” and Antigonus, as occurring
among the witnesses; and I easily recognised the groups which he had
deciphered: although, instead of _Antiochus_, I read _Antimachus_; and
I did not recollect at the time that he had omitted the M.
In the evening of the day that Mr. Grey had brought me his manuscripts,
I proceeded impatiently to examine that which was in Greek only: and I
could scarcely believe that I was awake, and in my sober senses, when
I observed, among the names of the witnesses, ANTIMACHUS ANTIGENIS:
and, a few lines further back, PORTIS APOLLONII; although the last word
could not have been very easily deciphered, without the assistance of
the conjecture, which immediately occurred to me, that this manuscript
might perhaps be a translation of the enchorial manuscript of Casati:
I found that its beginning was, “A copy of an Egyptian writing ...;”
and I proceeded to ascertain, that there were the same number of names,
intervening between the Greek, and the Egyptian signatures, that I had
identified, and that the same number followed the last of them; and
the whole number of witnesses appeared to be sixteen in each. The last
paragraph in the Greek began with the words, “Copy of the Registry;”
for such must be the signification of the word ΠΤΩΜΑΤΟΣ, employed in
this papyrus, though it does not appear to occur any where else in a
similar signification. I could not, therefore, but conclude, that a
most extraordinary chance had brought into my possession a document
which was not very likely, in the first place, ever to have existed,
still less to have been preserved uninjured, for my information,
through a period of near two thousand years: but that this very
extraordinary translation should have been brought safely to Europe,
to England, and to me, at the very moment when it was most of all
desirable to me to possess it, as the illustration of an original which
I was then studying, but without any other reasonable hope of being
able fully to comprehend it; this combination would, in other times,
have been considered as affording ample evidence of my having become an
Egyptian sorcerer.
Mr. Champollion had not thought it worth while to give me a transcript
of the original Greek endorsement: he seemed to consider it as not
fully agreeing with the Egyptian text, or, at any rate, as not
materially assisting in its interpretation: perhaps, also, he thought
it best for me to try my strength upon the original, without any little
assistance that might have been derived from it with respect to two
or three of the names: or, as I am more disposed to believe, he was
fearful of offending some of his countrymen, by making too public
what he had no right to communicate without their leave: for after an
accidental delay of a month, the answer that I received from Paris was
only such as to enable me to state, that my opinion of the identity
of the two endorsements is fully confirmed. I have lost, however, no
time in sending to the Conservators of the King’s cabinet a copy of
my registry; with a request to be favoured with theirs in return, in
order that I might have the same advantage from the comparison, which
I voluntarily afforded the Parisian critics, without any reserve or
delay; and in order that the duplicates may stand side by side in the
lithographical copy, which has only waited for their answer, to have
a vacant space filled up, and to be sent to them entire. In the mean
time, I have only to wish, that the philologists of Paris may do as
ample justice to these papyri, as one of the most distinguished of
their number, Mr. Letronne, has lately done to the inscriptions of the
Oasis, of which I had made a very hasty translation from a single copy
only, not having had the means of comparing it properly with the second.
My application for the copy of the Registry has been received with
the liberality which was to be expected from the directors of a great
institution, and I have to return my best thanks to Mr. Raoul Rochette,
for a correct copy of the whole of this highly important manuscript,
which I am happy to find that it is his intention to publish in a
short time. I am most anxious to avoid anticipating him, in the
gratification of the public curiosity, with regard to this interesting
relic: but as I find that some account of the Registry has already been
made public by Mr. St. Martin, I conceive myself at liberty to make
use, at least, of this part of the manuscript: and I do not imagine
that Mr. Raoul Rochette means to employ himself on the enchorial
conveyance.
The contents of Mr. Grey’s Greek manuscript are of a nature scarcely
less remarkable than its preservation and discovery: it relates to the
sale, not of a house or a field, but of a portion of the Collections
and Offerings made from time to time on account, or for the benefit, of
a certain number of MUMMIES, of persons described at length, in very
bad Greek, with their children and all their households. The price is
not very clearly expressed; but as the portion sold is only a moiety of
a third part of the whole, and as the testimony of sixteen witnesses
was thought necessary on the occasion, it is probable that the revenue,
thus obtained by the priests, was by no means inconsiderable.
The result, derived at once from this comparison, is the identification
of more than thirty proper names as they were written in the running
hand of the country. It might appear, upon a superficial consideration,
that a mere catalogue of proper names would be of little comparative
value in assisting us to recover the lost elements of a language. But,
in fact, they possess a considerable advantage, in the early stages
of such an investigation, from the greater facility and certainty
with which they are identified, and from their independence of any
grammatical inflexions, at least in the present case; by means of which
they lead us immediately to a full understanding of the orthographical
system of the language, where any such system can be traced.
The general inference, to be derived from an examination of the names
now discovered, is somewhat more in favour of an extensive employment
of an alphabetical mode of writing, than any that could have been
deduced from the pillar of Rosetta, which exhibits, indeed, only
foreign names, and affords us therefore little or no information
respecting the mode of writing the original Egyptian names of the
inhabitants. Several of the words, which occur in these documents, and
more especially in those which are hereafter to be mentioned, might be
read pretty correctly, by means of the alphabet originally made out
by Mr. Akerblad from the foreign names of the enchorial inscription;
but there are many more which appear to be rather syllabically than
alphabetically constituted: and the names of the different deities
seem to be very commonly employed in writing them; for instance, those
of Horus, Ammon, and Isis; and perhaps in the same way that they
are often composed, in the mythological manuscripts, found with the
mummies: in which, for want of the occurrence of a ring or border,
or of the corresponding enchorial marks, I had concluded that the
groups could not be intended to represent the ordinary names of the
individuals. But these marks are, in fact, by no means constantly
employed in the enchorial papyri; and they seem only to have been
inserted when either great precision, or some distinguished mark of
respect was required.
Important, however, as are the additions that are likely to be made
to our knowledge by means of this “Antigraph”, it is by no means the
only valuable acquisition for which we are indebted to the enterprise
and the diligence of Mr. Grey: a second papyrus, of considerably
greater magnitude, contains three Egyptian conveyances in the enchorial
character, with separate registries on the margin, in very legible
Greek. These are not only of use for the illustration of other similar
documents, but they afford us also many additional examples of
enchorial proper names, besides a general idea of the subjects of the
respective manuscripts, all of which relate to the sale of lands in the
neighbourhood of Thebes. It will be most convenient to consider them as
parts of a series, of which those are the first to be examined, that
are the most capable of affording an independent testimony; beginning
with the Greek papyrus in the possession of Mr. Anastasy, the Swedish
consul at Alexandria, and proceeding to the Antigraph and its original,
and thence to the three enchorial manuscripts, which are also the
property of Mr. Grey. It is scarcely conceivable, by a person who has
not made the experiment; how much the difficulty of reading a depraved
character is almost universally diminished by the comparison of two
or three copies of the same or of similar passages; the words, which
would be wholly unintelligible in either taken singly, being often very
easily legible when both are at once under the eye; and, still more
commonly, a word which is confused or contracted in one, being written
clearly or at length in another.
It is in this manner, that several of the deficiencies of the
manuscript of Anastasy, as edited by the learned and ingenious
Professor Böckh of Berlin, have been in some measure supplied, in
the late republication at Paris, by the care of Mr. Jomard, from a
comparison with the Greek manuscripts purchased of Mr. Casati, in order
to be added to the unrivalled treasures of literature contained in the
King’s library and cabinet. Several more of the obscurities of this
manuscript, if not the whole, I flatter myself are now removed, by the
further comparison, which I have attempted to make, by means of Mr.
Grey’s indulgence in allowing me the use of his manuscripts; and by
means of the duplicate which I have received from Paris in exchange
for the registry of his Antigraph.
The manuscript of Anastasy, besides its curiosity as a subject of
antiquarian and historical research, becomes of great importance,
in this inquiry, as affording a more complete specimen, than the
Antigraph, of the usual form of a contract in Egypt under the
Ptolemies; and as assisting in the investigation of the sense of
the preamble of the enchorial manuscript, which is omitted in the
Antigraph. I shall therefore insert here a translation of this
document, and shall reprint the original in an appendix, with such
corrections as I have thought it appeared to require; in order to
restore it to the form intended by the writer. The registries, in their
original language, I shall print side by side, and in the order of time
which I attribute to them.
TRANSLATION OF THE GREEK PAPYRUS OF ANASTASY.
_See Appendix_ I.
(1) In the reign of Cleopatra and Ptolemy her son surnamed Alexander,
the Gods Philometores Soteres, in the year XII, otherwise IX; in the
priesthood of the existing priests (2) in Alexandria, [the priest]
of Alexander and of the Gods Soteres, and of the Gods Adelphi, and
of the Gods Evergetae, and of the Gods Philopatores, and of the Gods
Epiphanes, and of the God (3) Philometor, and of the God Eupator, and
of the Gods Evergetae: the Prize bearer of Berenice Evergetis, the
Basket bearer of Arsinoe Philadelphus and the priestess of Arsinoe
(4) Eupator at present in Alexandria: and, in the Thebaic Ptolemais,
in the priesthood of the existing priests and priestesses of Ptolemy
Soter, [and of ...] (5) in Ptolemais; on the 29th of the month Tybi
[v; February]: Apollonius being President of the Exchange of the
Memnonians, and of the lower government of the Pathyritic nome.
(6) There was sold by Pamonthes, aged about 45, of middle size, dark
complexion, and handsome figure, bald, round faced, and straight
nosed; and by Snachomneus, aged about 20, of middle size, sallow
complexion, (7) likewise round faced and straight nosed; and by
Semmuthis Persineï, aged about 22, of middle size, sallow complexion,
round faced, flat nosed, and of quiet demeanour; and by Tathlyt (8)
Persineï, aged about 30, of middle size, sallow complexion, round face,
and straight nose, with their principal Pamonthes, a party in the sale;
the four (9) being of the children of Petepsais of the leather cutters
of the Memnonia; out of the piece of level ground which belongs to
them in the southern part of the Memnonia, (10) eight thousand cubits
of open field, one fourth [of the whole?] bounded on the south by
the Royal Street; on the north and east by the land of Pamonthes and
Boconsiemis, who is his brother, (11) and the common land [or wall] of
the city; on the west by the house of Tages the son of Chalome: a canal
running through, the middle, leading from the river: these are the
neighbours on all sides. It was bought by Nechutes the less, (12) the
son of Asos, aged about 40, of middle size, sallow complexion, cheerful
countenance, long face, and straight nose, with a scar upon the middle
of his forehead; for 601 pieces of brass: the sellers standing as
(13) brokers, and as securities for the validity of the sale. It was
accepted by Nechutes the purchaser.
APOLLONIUS Pr. Exch?
[REGISTRY.]
In the year XII, otherwise IX; the 20th of Pharmuthi [VIII; May],
[transacted] at the table in Hermopolis, at which Dionysius presides,
over the 20th department; in the account of the partners receiving the
duties on sales, of which Heraclides is the subscribing clerk, the
acceptor in the sale is Nechutes the less, the son of Asos; an open
field of eight thousand cubits, one fourth portion; in the southern
part of the Memnonia: which he bought of Pamonthes and Snachomneus, the
sons of Petepsais, with their sisters: 601 pieces? The end....
Dionysius subscribes.
The beginning of this preamble may be illustrated by that of the
inscription of ROSETTA, which runs nearly thus:
In the reign of the young king ... Ptolemy Epiphanes the munificent
... the son of Ptolemy and Arsinoe, the gods Philopatores ... in the
year IX; the priest of Alexander and of the gods Soteres, and of the
gods Adelphi, and of the gods Evergetae, and of the gods Philopatores,
and of the god Epiphanes the munificent being Aëtus, the son of Aëtus:
the prize bearer of Berenice Evergetis being Pyrrha the daughter
of Philinus: the basket bearer of Arsinoe Philadelphus being Areia
daughter of Diogenes; and the priestess of Arsinoe Philopator, Irene
the daughter of Ptolemy: on the 4th day of Xanthicus, or the 18th of
Mechir: it was decreed....
In comparing the preamble of the deed of sale with this monument,
we have first to observe the successive addition of the names of
Philometor, Eupator, and the Evergetae, to the titles of the priests
of Alexander and his successors. Eupator, it seems, according to other
authorities, cited by Böckh, was Ptolemy Evergetes II, the successor
of Philometor, called also Cacergetes and Physcon; and the Evergetae,
named after him, can only have been the reigning sovereigns, before
called Philometores Soteres: and Cleopatra, at least, had some right to
the name Evergetis, as having derived it from her husband, so that she
may easily be supposed to have shared it occasionally with her son. The
remaining part of the preamble varies but little, except that Arsinoe,
instead of Philopator, is called Eupator: but this diversity is not
more material than the substitution of Adelphi for Philadelphi, which
frequently occurs. The double date is well known to have been adopted
by Cleopatra and Alexander, and its origin is sufficiently explained
by Eusebius and Porphyry. Professor Böckh makes the year, 104 B. C.;
but from a comparison of different authorities it seems rather more
probable that it was 106 B. C., at least so I have been obliged to
arrange it in a table, formed from a comparison of the chronologies of
Porphyry, Champollion Figeac, and St. Martin, which I have inserted in
an Appendix.
TRANSLATION OF MR. GREY’S GREEK ANTIGRAPH.
(1) _Copy of an Egyptian Writing respecting the Dead Bodies in Thyn.
having been_ (2) _ratif_....
(3) In the XXXVIth year; Athyr [III] 20, after the usual preamble,
this writing witnesses: that the ¿Dresser? (4) among the servants of
the great goddess [Isis?] Onnophris the son of Horus and of Senpoeris,
[aged about] forty, lively, tall, of a sallow complexion, hollow eyed,
(5) and bald, has ceded voluntarily for the price of ... to Horus the
son of Horus and of Senpoeris, (6) one moiety of the third part of
the Collection for the dead (7) lying in Thynabunun, on the Libyan
side of the Theban suburb, (8) in the Memnonia: likewise one moiety of
the third part of the Services or Liturgies (9) and so forth: their
names being | Muthes the son of Spotus, with (10) his children (10)
and all his household; Chapocrates the son of Nechthmonthes, with
his children and all; Arsiesis the son of Nechthmonthes; likewise
Petemestus the son of (11) Nechthmonthes; likewise Arsiesis the son of
Zminis; likewise (12) Osoroeris the son of [Horus]; likewise Spotus
the son of Chapochonsis; likewise (13) Zoglyphus: from which there
belongs to Asos the son of Horus and of Senpoeris (14) “thy” younger
brother, one of [or, the younger brother of] the same ¿Dressers? a
moiety of the (15) aforesaid third part of the services and fruits
and (16) so forth. He has sold it to him in the year XXXVI; 20 Athyr,
in the reign of the everlasting (17) king, for the completion of
the third part. Also a moiety of the fruits (18) ¿and so forth? of
the ¿other? dead bodies in Thy. that is to say, Pateutemis with his
children and (19) all; and a moiety of the fruits belonging to me from
the property of (20) Petechonsis the milk bearer, and from a place on
the Asiatic side, called (21) Phrecages, with the dead bodies in it;
of which a moiety belongs to the (22) same Asos: all these things I
have sold to him. They are thine, (23) and I have received their price
from thee, and I make no demand upon thee (24) for them from this
day: and if any person disturb thee (25) in the possession of them, I
will withstand the attempt, and if I do not [otherwise] repel it (26)
I will use compulsory means. Written by Horus the son of Phabis, the
writer of the (27) [priests] of Amonrasonther, and the other gods of
the temple. (28) Witnesses: Erieus the son of Phanres. Peteartres the
son of Pateutemis. (29) Petearpocrates the son of [Horus]. Snachomneus
the son of Peteuris. Snachomes (30) the son of Psenchonsis. Totoes the
son of Phibis. Portis the son of APOLLONIUS. Zminis (31) the son of
Petemestus. Peteutemis the son of Arsiesis. Amonorytius (32) the son
of Pacemis. Horus the son of Chimnaraus. Armenis the son of Zthenaetis
(33). Maësis the son of Mirsis. ANTIMACHUS the son of ANTIGENES.
Petophois the son of Phibis. (34) Panas the son of Petosiris. Witnesses
16.
Copy of the Registry. In the year XXXVI; the ninth of Choeak [IV].
Transacted at the table in Diospolis, at which Lysimachus is the
President of the 20th department; in the account of Asclepiades
and Zminis, farmers of the tax, in which the subscribing clerk is
Ptolemaeus: the purchaser Horus the son of Horus the ¿Dresser? a part
of the sum, collected by them, on account of the dead bodies lying in
Thynabunun, in the Memnonian tombs of the Libyan suburb of Thebes, for
the services which are performed. Bought of Onnophris the son of Horus,
Pieces of brass 400 . Z . . The end.
Lysimach. subscribes.
TRANSLATION OF THE ENCHORIAL PAPYRUS OF PARIS, CONTAINING THE ORIGINAL
DEED RELATING TO THE MUMMIES.
(1) This writing, dated in the year XXXVI; Athyr 20, in the reign
of our Sovereigns Ptolemy and Cleopatra his sister, the children of
Ptolemy and Cleopatra, the divine, (2) the Gods Illustrious: and the
Priest of Alexander, and of the Saviour Gods, of the Brother Gods, of
the [Beneficent Gods], of the Father loving Gods, of the Illustrious
Gods, of the Paternal God, and (3) of the Mother loving Gods being [as
by law appointed]: and the Prize bearer of Berenice the Beneficent,
and the Basket bearer of Arsinoe the Brother loving, and the Priestess
of (4) Arsinoe the Father loving, being as appointed in the metropolis
[of Alexandria]; and in [Ptolemaïs] the Royal City ¿of the Thebaid? the
Guardian Priest ¿for the year? of Ptolemy Soter, and the Priest of King
Ptolemy the Father loving, (5) and the Priest of Ptolemy the Brother
loving, and the Priest of Ptolemy the Beneficent, and the Priest of
Ptolemy the Mother loving; and the Priestess of Queen Cleopatra,
and the Priestess (6) of the Princess Cleopatra, and the Priestess
of Cleopatra the [Queen] Mother, deceased, the Illustrious; and the
Basket bearer of Arsinoe the Brother loving, [being as appointed]:
declares: The ¿Dresser? in the temple (7) of the Goddess, Onnophris
the son of Horus, and of Senpoeris ¿daughter of Spotus? [“aged about
forty, lively”], tall, [“of a sallow complexion, hollow eyed, and
bald”]: in the temple of the goddess (8) to [Horus] ¿his brother? the
son of Horus and of Senpoeris, has sold, for a price in money, half
of one third of the Collections for the dead, “Priests of Osiris?”
lying (9) in Thynabunun ... in the Libyan suburb of Thebes, in the
Memnonia ... likewise half of one third of the Liturgies: their names
being, Muthes the son of Spotus, with his children and his household;
Chapocrates (10) the son of Nechthmonthes, with his children and his
household; Arsiesis the son of Nechthmonthes, with his children and
his household; Petemestus the son of Nechthmonthes, Arsiesis the son
of Zminis, with his children and his household; Osoroeris (11) the
son of Horus, with his children and his household; Spotus the son of
Chapochonsis ¿surnamed? Zoglyphus [the Sculptor,] with his children
and his household: while there belonged also to Asos the son of Horus
and of Senpoeris ¿daughter of Spotus? (12) in the same manner one half
of a third of the collections for the dead, and of the fruits and
so forth ...: he sold it on the 20th of Athyr, in the reign of the
king everliving, to [complete] the third part: likewise the half ¿of
one third? of the collections relating to (13) Peteutemis, with his
household and ...: likewise the half ¿of one third? of the collections
and fruits for Petechonsis the bearer of milk, and of the ... place
on the Asian side called Phrecages (14), and ... and the dead bodies
in it: there having belonged to Asos the son of Horus one half of the
same: he has sold to him in the month of ... the half of one third of
the collections (15) for the Priests ¿of Osiris? lying in Thynabunun,
with their children and their households: likewise the half of one
third of the collections for Peteutemis, and also for (16) Petechonsis
the bearer of milk, in the place Phrecages on the Asian side: I have
received for them their price in silver: ... and gold: ... and I make
no further demand on thee for them from the present day, ... (17) ...
before the authorities ... [and if any one shall disturb thee in the
possession of them, I will resist him, and if I do not succeed, I will
indemnify thee?] ... (18) Executed and confirmed: Written by Horus the
son of Phabis, clerk to the chief priests of Amonrasonther and of the
¿contemplar? Gods, of the Beneficent Gods, of the Father loving Gods,
of the Paternal God, and of the (19) Mother loving Gods. Amen. (20)
Names of the witnesses present....
[_Column at the edge of the paper._] (1) Names of the authorities.
(2) Erieus the son of Phanres ¿Erieus? (3) Peteartres the son of
Peteutemis. (4) Petearpocrates the son of Horus. (5) Snachomneus the
son of Peteuris. (6) Snachomes the son of Psenchonsis. (7) Totoes the
son of Phibis. (8) Portis the son of APOLLONIUS. (9) Zminis the son of
Petemestus. (10) Peteutemis the son of Arsiesis. (11) Amonorytius the
son of Pacemis. (12) Horus the son of Chimnaraus. (13) Armenia [rather
Arbais,] the son of Zthenaetis. (14) Maesis the son of Mirsis. (15)
ANTIMACHUS the son of ANTIGENES. (16) Petophois the son of Phibis. (17)
Panas the son of Petosiris. (18) Were present [as witnesses.]
The additions to the Sovereigns, named in the preamble of the stone
of Rosetta, are here the Paternal God and the Mother loving Gods, or
Eupator and the Philometores, and we want only the Evergetae of the
papyrus of Anastasy. We can, therefore, only refer the date to one of
the two preceding reigns, of Philometor or Evergetes Eupator, which
it is very difficult to distinguish from each other with precision.
We have, however, no evidence that Philometor’s dates extended beyond
35, and we must naturally consider this 36 as belonging to Eupator,
corresponding to 135 B. C. which was 11 years after the death of
Philometor. If we judged from this manuscript alone, we should infer
that Eupator was canonized, by some accident, during his temporary
reign, before his brother, and that the order of the names remained
undisturbed through the different changes of their governments. The
epithet “Illustrious” in this preamble is not easily recognised; but
it is distinguished by the termination from “Beneficent,” for which
I had in the first instance mistaken it: an epithet so placed is
almost always referred to the person last mentioned. The enchorial
name of the divinity here called Amonrasonther considerably resembles
that of the “Cerexochus” of the Article Egypt. The epithet, which I
have conjecturally translated “Dresser”, was at first supposed to
mean Brazier, and was read Chalchytes: but the Parisian Registry has
distinctly Cholchytes: which may possibly be a derivative of DCHOLH or
JOLH, to dress, to put on, and may have been applied to some of the
Hierostolists, or Tire men, of the temple.
TRANSLATION OF MR. GREY’S ENCHORIAL PAPYRUS. REGISTRY IN GREEK (A).
In the year XXVIII; the 28 Mesore [XII]. Transacted at the table in
Hermopolis, at which Dio.[nysius] is President of the 20th department,
in the Account of Asclepiades [contractor for the tax] on sales; of
which Ptolemaeus is the subscribing clerk: the purchaser being Teephbis
the son of Amenothes ¿for 300 pieces of brass? ¿of 7000? cubits, at
the southern end of the whole open field, which is at the south of
Diospolis the Great; of which the boundaries are given in the annexed
agreement: which he bought of Alecis and Lubais and Tbaeais the sons of
Erieus, and of Senerieus the daughter of Petenephotes, and Erieus the
son of Amenothes, and Senosorphibis the daughter of Amenothes, and of
Spois also ¿the son? of Erieus the son of Amenothes. In the XXVIIIth
year, Pachon [IX] 20. ¿Pieces? ... End of the record.
Dionysius has subscribed.
ENCHORIAL AGREEMENT (A).
Year XXVIII; Month.... In the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra his
sister, the children of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, the Illustrious Gods:
and the Priest of Alexander, of the Saviour Gods, of the ¿Maternal?
[Brother] Gods, of the Beneficent Gods, of the Father loving Gods,
of the Illustrious Gods, of the Mother loving Gods: and the Prize
bearer of Berenice the Beneficent, and the Basket bearer of Arsinoe
the Brother loving, and the Priest of Arsinoe the Father loving, being
as appointed in the metropolis [of Alexandria; and in Ptolemais], the
Royal City ¿of the Thebaid? the Guardian Priest ¿for the year? of
Ptolemy Soter, and the Priest of Ptolemy the Mother loving, and the
Priest of Ptolemy the Brother loving, and the Priest of Ptolemy the
Beneficent, and the Priest of Ptolemy the Father loving, and the Priest
of Ptolemy the Illustrious and Munificent, and the Priest of Queen
Cleopatra, and the Priest of Cleopatra the Mother, the late Goddess
Illustrious; and the Basket bearer of Arsinoe the Brother loving, being
[all as by law appointed]: The brothers, Alecis the son of Erieus,
Lubais the son of Erieus, and Tbaeais the son of Erieus, their mother
being Senerieus the daughter of Petenephotes son of Lubais; Erieus the
son of Amenothes, and Senosorphibis daughter of Amenothes, whose mother
was Senamunis, and Spois the son of Erieus, the son of Amenothes, his
mother being ¿Senchonsis? coming into the temple of ¿Thebes? agreed
with Teephbis son of Amenothes, to sell for a sum of money ... α ... α
... α ... α ... of the city ... in the year and month and day [above
mentioned] of the King everliving ... α ... ¿Alecis Phaïne? ... α ...
(16) α ... Asos the son of Horus and of Senpoeris ... the Royal Street
(HIR = ῥύμη) ... ¿vineyard? ... α ... α ... (19) ... (20) ... place
... (21) given up ... month ... time ... (22) ... (23) ... (24) ...
Executed and confirmed. Written by Erieus the son of Phanres, clerk to
the chief Priests of Amonrasonther and the contemplar Gods ... Amen.
It is sufficiently obvious that this deed must belong to the same
period as the sale of the collections for the mummies, and that it must
consequently have been at least eight years earlier. The “God Eupator”
is here omitted, perhaps accidentally, or perhaps because he had not
been canonized at the time. The date 28 is equally applicable to the
reigns of Philometor and of Eupator: and several names occur in this
deed which are also found in the preceding: for example, Erieus the
son of Phanres, who is the first witness in that deed, is the clerk
that drew up the present. Asos the son of Horus and Senpoeris, who is
one of the “Dressers” of the temple, appears here as the possessor,
probably of a neighbouring piece of land, and in the next deed as a
purchaser. The question remains whether we should assign to this deed a
date 19 years earlier than the former, or only 8, that is, whether 154
B. C. or 143; and there appears to be no evidence at present existing
that is sufficient to decide it: except that the omission of the name
of Eupator was less likely to happen in his own reign than in his
predecessor’s. The priesthoods of Ptolemais are somewhat negligently
arranged at the end of this preamble, but they present no essential
discordances. The Registry affords us a remarkable instance of a double
contraction for the word ΠΟΛΙΣ or city, it is first represented by a
semicircle with a central point, 𝄐, and then by a figure of 2, in the
names of Hermopolis, and Diospolis, or Thebes. The contraction for
Hermopolis, in the papyrus of Anastasy, would not easily have been
explained without the aid of these manuscripts. The Dionysius of the
reign of Ptolemy Alexander, being near fifty years later, may perhaps
have been a son of this Dionysius, and may have succeeded him in his
office.
TRANSLATION OF THE SECOND DEED (B).
REGISTRY, IN GREEK.
In the year XXIX; Phamenoth [VII] 9. Transacted at the table in
Hermopolis, at which Dionysius is president of the 20th department;
in the account of Asclepiades and Crates [contractors for the duties]
on sales, of which Ptolemaeus is the subscribing clerk: Asus, the son
of Horus, purchaser of an open field of ¿2000? [square cubits], lying
in the southern part of Diospolis the Great; of which the boundaries
are given in the present agreement: which he bought of Alecis the son
of Erieus, and Lubais and Tbaeais the sons of Erieus, and Senerieus
the daughter of Petenephotes, and Erieus the son of Amenothes, and
Senosorphibis the daughter of Amenothes, and Spois [or Spoetus] also
the son of Erieus the son of Amenothes ... ¿Pieces ... 1004? The end....
Diony[sius] has subscribed.
ENCHORIAL AGREEMENT (B).
Year XXIX. In the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, the children of
Ptolemy and Cleopatra the Gods Illustrious and Munificent: living
for ever. The brothers, Alecis the son of Erieus, Lubais the son of
Erieus, and Tbaeais the son of Erieus, their mother being Senerieus the
daughter of Petenephotes, son of Lubais; Erieus the son of Amenothes,
and Senosorphibis daughter of Amenothes, her mother being Senamunis,
and ¿Spois? the son of Erieus, the son of Amenothes, his mother being
¿Senchonsis? coming into the temple of ¿Thebes? agreed with Asus the
son of Horus to sell for a sum of money ... α ... α ... α ... α ...
of the city ... in the year and month and day [above mentioned] of
the king everliving ... α ... ¿Phaine? ... α ... the Royal Street;
¿the sister of Alecis, Phaine? ... α ... α ... place ... has released
... months ... time.... Executed and confirmed. Written by Erieus the
son of Phanres, clerk to the chief priests of Amonrasonther and the
contemplar Gods.... Amen.
The preamble is here abridged, which was perhaps the safer, as the deed
stands by the side of the preceding on the same papyrus. The phrase “α”
is the same in both deeds, and probably means “a piece of open field
bounded by,” or something of a similar nature: for forms of this kind
appear to be repeated without limit in the old Egyptian language.
TRANSLATION OF THE THIRD DEED (C).
REGISTRY IN GREEK.
In the year XXXV; Pharmuthi [VIII] 20. Transacted at the table in
Diospolis the Great, at which Lysim[achus] [is president]; in the
account of Sarapion and his partners [contractors for the duties] on
sales, in which the subscribing clerks are Hermophilus and Sarapion:
the purchaser being Pechytes the son of Arsiesis; of the fourth part of
an open field of ¿3000 square cubits? in the southern part of Diospolis
the Great; on the western side of the canal of Her[cules], leading to
the river; of which the boundaries are given in the present agreement;
which he bought of Ammonius the son of Pyrrhius, and Psenamunis the son
of Pyrrhius. ¿Pieces 3000? The end. Of which ...
Lysimach. has subscribed.
ENCHORIAL AGREEMENT (C).
¿XXXV? Month.... In the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra his sister,
the children of Ptolemy and Cleopatra the Gods Illustrious; and the
Priest of Alexander and of the Saviour Gods, of the Brother Gods, of
the Beneficent Gods, of the Father loving Gods, of the Illustrious
Gods, of the ¿hostile? Paternal God, and of the Mother loving Gods:
and the Prize bearer of Berenice the Beneficent, and the [Gold and
Silver] Basket bearer of Arsinoe the Brother loving, and the Priest of
Arsinoe the Father loving, being [as appointed in the metropolis]: the
bargain was made by the men of the family of Alecis: Ammonius the son
of Pyrrhius, and Psenamunis the son of Pyrrhius, coming into the temple
... agreed with Pechytes the son of Arsiesis and ¿Oenone? to sell for
a sum of money ... ... (14) Royal Street ... month ... time
... . Executed and confirmed. Written by ... clerk to the chief
priests of Amonrasonther and the contemplar Gods, the Gods ¿Beneficent?
the Father loving Gods and the Gods Illustrious, the ¿hostile? Paternal
God, and the Mother loving Gods. Amen.
The name of Eupator appears here to contain, in two different places,
the characters which in the Rosetta inscription denote hostile or
turbulent; and this circumstance would incline us to prefer the date of
the last year of the reign of Philometor: but it is possible that the
same epithets may have been intended to mean warlike, in a favourable
sense.
There remains a fourth enchorial manuscript, of some importance,
at present in the British Museum, but still belonging to Mr. Salt,
without whose permission it would be improper to make public its whole
contents, even if they were perfectly intelligible. But, in fact, the
preamble of this manuscript has been lost, and the registry is nearly
illegible, except that the date is clearly XLVII, and the signature of
the President at the table of Hermopolis appears to be Dionysius. The
names of Horus and Erieus and Arsiesis are also distinguishable in the
body of the deed, and the word “two thousand” is written at length, at
the end of the registry. Now the year 47 can only belong to the reign
of Philadelphus, or to that of Eupator, and the style of the registry
too much resembles that of all the other deeds, including Anastasy’s,
to allow us to assign it to the former reign: it must, therefore,
belong, not to 277, but to 124 B. C. This date will not indeed give
us any certain evidence respecting that of Mr. Grey’s deeds; though
it might rather incline us to take the later than the earlier, of two
periods, equally probable in other respects. On the whole, we can only
leave the alternative open for future decision between the dates, as
thus contrasted:
Mr. Grey’s enchorial
deed (A), XXVIII 154 or 143 B. C.
(B), XXIX 153 142
(C), XXXV 147 136
Mr. Grey’s Greek Antigraph,
or rather
the enchorial deed
of Paris XXXVI 146 135
Mr. Salt’s enchorial
deed XLVII 124
Anastasy’s Greek conveyance XII-IX 106.
The registry of Mr. Grey’s first deed is therefore at least 37, and,
on the whole, most probably 48 years more ancient, than any other
writing with a pen and ink that exists; and it still remains in the
most perfect preservation. Mr. Jomard has compared the manuscript of
Anastasy, for its importance, to the pillar of Rosetta: but it can in
no respect whatever be put in competition with the Antigraph of Mr.
Grey.
[Illustration: SPECIMEN OF MR. GREY’S ENCHORIAL PAPYRUS.]