DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18325221
title: Papyrological Dataset on Agricultural Exploitation of the Roman Fayûm

description: Due to its unparalleled documentation, Roman Egypt offers exceptional opportunities for the study of ancient economies, and the Fayûm region (Western Desert) stands out in particular for the density and continuity of its papyrological record. The centrality of agricultural exploitation in the Fayûm is clearly reflected in the papyri, which contain abundant references to the various stages of land cultivation - from sowing to harvest - as well as detailed information on land-use patterns, tenure regimes, and agricultural productivity. The documentation further provides valuable evidence for local water management and irrigation practices, allowing for the analysis of the interaction between agricultural production and hydrological conditions. The largely uninterrupted coverage across the Fayûm region enables the identification of local economic and environmental charecteristics and observation of developments over time. As such, the Fayûm offers a well-documented case study for exploring how agricultural systems adapeted to changing environmental and water-managemet conditions in the Roman period.

Dataset structure and variables

The dataset is organized as a tabular database in which each row represents a single documentary attestation derived from papyrological sources relating to agricultural exploitation in the Roman Fayûm. The columns record chronological, economic, environmental, and spatial information in a standardized and coded format in order to facilitate comparison, interoperability, and reuse.

Identification and chronology



A – ID: Unique line identifier.

B – Starting Year: Beginning of the attested date.

C – Ending Year: End of the attested date, when a range of years is provided.

D – More on Year: Additional chronological precision (months and/or days).


Event 1: Productive cycle



E – Event 1 (productive cycle): Encodes the stage of the agricultural cycle referenced in the document.



ws: winter sowing of wheat

h: post–winter sowing harvest


F – Value (timing): Relative timing of the event.



i: imminent

o: ongoing

r: recent


G – Certainty (quality of the reading): Degree of confidence in the chronological reading.



1: major insecurity (both day and month compromised)

2: minor insecurity (either day or month compromised)

3: perfectly readable



Event 2: Cropping pattern on arable land



H – Event 2 records cropping regimes and cultivation strategies and is divided into two main documentary contexts:


(1) Lease of arable land

This category captures information derived from leases of cultivated plots. Cultivation patterns are coded as follows:



mono wheat: wheat monoculture

mono barley: barley monoculture

cereal mix: wheat and barley

crop rot. wheat: wheat and fodder/fallow in alternation

crop rot. barley: barley and fodder/fallow in alternation

crop rot. mix: cereals mix and fodder/fallow in alternation

cereal mix 2-field system: part wheat and barley, part other

wheat 2-field system: part wheat, part other

barley 2-field system: part barley, part other

fodder: one-year (sub)lease, possibly within a rotational system

rotation: rotational practice inferred from restitution formulas or document phrasing

other


Methodological conventions (explicitly adopted):



When a lease specifies rent in kind inclusive of seed, the type of seed mentioned is interpreted as indicating the crop intended to be grown.

This interpretation is applied consistently and is recorded at the level of the cultivation pattern.


(2) Account (tax assessment on public land)

This category records cropping information inferred from fiscal documentation relating to public plots:



mono wheat: wheat monoculture

mono barley: barley monoculture

cereal mix: wheat and barley

wheat mix: wheat and another crop (typically a legume)

cereal mix +: wheat, barley, and another crop (legume)

other: legume


Methodological convention:



When rent in kind on public land is recorded in tax accounts, the rent is interpreted as reflecting the crop grown on the assessed plot.


Event 3: Irrigation pattern



J – Event 3 (irrigation pattern): Indicates that irrigation is attested and the legal status of the land.



prv: irrigated private land

pub: irrigated public land


K – Percentage: Percentage of irrigated land relative to total land extent.


Event 4: Cash-crop production



L – Event 4 records evidence for perennial crops and production facilities:



olive grove

vineyard

elaionoparadeisos: orchard with olive trees

paradeisos: unspecified orchard, possibly including olives

fruit-bearing land: fruit unspecified

prod. facility: olive press

prod. facility w: wine press

vine/orchard tax: indication of tax owed or paid on vineyards or orchards



Spatial information



M – Where (District of the Arsinoites):



00a: District of Herakleides

00b: District of Themistes

00c: District of Polemon

00d: Area of Krokodilopolis

00: no further specification


N – More on location: Ancient village name.

O – TM Geo: Trismegistos Geo identifier.

P – Latitude

Q – Longitude

R – Pleiades: Pleiades place identifier.

S – Certainty (precision of reference):



event: secure location of the event

area: location inferred from internal evidence

papyrus: provenance of the papyrus



Land status and references



T – Land category: Legal classification of land involved.



prv: private

pub: public


U – Evidence: Bibliographic reference to the published papyrus.

V – TM Number: Trismegistos text identifier.


 

Project: The Roman Egypt Laboratory. Climate Change, Societal Transformation and the Transition to Late Antiquity

Funder: Swiss National Science Fundation. Grant number 192176