Ancient Egypt: Demotic papyri from Rifeh
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Demotic papyri relating to economic aspects of religious life in the Ptolemaic PeriodEmbalmment contractPapyrus B.3 |
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////////// I will bind him, anoint him, embalm him //////////. It is thine, thy /////// which which are in thy treasuries, we have received ////////// 5 talents, its half ////////// talents, 5 talents again at 24 copper obols to the tetradrachm //////////. thou hast possession of them and they /////// the penalty (for?) anything and everything on earth ////////// every /////// on earth [the seat] which is in the middle of our district (?), the two ////////// aforesaid //////////// portion of the men ////////// to our treasuries, they giving burial, they pledging (?) the middle of the three seats ////////// us, and they (?) shall confirm it, he ////////// he praying ten times a month ////////// and I will give a further ten talents [its half] 5 talents, making 10 talents at 24 copper obols to the tetradrachm /////// the sacrifices and libations of the kings ////////// as aforesaid, I am (entitled) against thee in the legal right, the writing (?) ////////// year 8 Mesore 16 of the kings who live forever //////////.
Animals supplied?Papyrus B.7 |
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The drachma was the basic unit of currency, with 6 obols, small copper coins, to the drachma talent: monetary unit, equal to 6,000 drachmas 5 talents, its half ////////// talents, 5 talents again: The mention of half the sum and repetition of the whole sum was a frequently used device in receipts and contracts to ensure their integrity. tetradrachm: Four drachma pieces at 24 copper obols to the tetradrachm: Making sure that there can be no misunderstanding as to the kind of drachma mentioned. Mesore: summer month |
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Column a. 1. ////////// ibis 1 makes loq 1 2. ////////// ibis 1 =1 3. brought ////////// from Pwrty /////// 4. ibis 1 =1 5. day 21, from (?) Pwrty to (?) Lycophron 6. one hte (?? hyaena ?) which they brought on the mountain ½ 7. ////////// hawk 1 ½ 8. one hte hawk ////////// ½ Column b. 1. /////// day 29 from (?) P-Sn-blHm (Psenblemmis) ibis 1 =1 2. /////// ibis 1 =1 3. for month of Thoth (?) loq 6 ½ 4. Paopi from (?) Portis ////////// Archelaos (?) 5. took aan (??) 4 = loq 2 ¼ 6. day 21 (?) Harpaesis the younger ////////// 7. brought a shepherd Peteesis the sheperd 8. one hte = loq ½ 9. day 25 from (?) Anup-p-ra(?) 10. one hte hawk ¼ 11. day 29 one ibis = loq 4 ¼ 12. Pa-tbekis the shepherd 13. for Paopi loq 4 ¼ Column c. 1. Athyr ////////// 2. //////////// 3. the treasury of L//////////
Source: Herbert Thompson The Demotic Papyri |
The animal names are written with the determinative for divine. The animals which can be identified with certainty are ibises and hawks, which were mummified on a large scale. In the text itself there is nothing which would suggest that the purpose was mummification, though it may be difficult to come up with something else. loq: keramion, a fluid measure The means of exchange was seemingly a fluid, another strange aspect of this text. Pwrty: "Great of Five", a title of the High Priest of Thoth at Hermopolis, or Portis, Greek proper name month of Thoth: Thout, first month of Akhet, about Julian September [1] Paope: Second month of Akhet, about Julian October aan: ape or aXm: eagle? |
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