The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-12
OLD PAPYRI IN CHICAGO
A UESTERN UNIVERSITY GETS Il
VALUABEE FIND FROM EGYPT.

clphering Begun.
Chicago has come into possession
within the last few weeks Of what
promises to be the most valuable coll
lection of ancient writings ever on this
side of the Atlantic ocean. Through
the efforts of Edgar J. Goodspeed, Of
the Chicago University, son of the sec
rotary of the institution, it has Sc
cured the latest and most promising
years. In the neighborhood of two
hundred or three hundred complete
preservation, are included in the collec-
preservation, are included in the collec-
ton, besides hundreds of fragments
This collection of manuscripts, of
which such interesting things are ex-
pected, comes from most mysterious
source. They We're found by an old
Arab Sheik while digging about the
sands somewhere along the bank of
the Nile. He took pains to conceal the
place of discovery, but he offered the
bundle of old papyri for sale, and at
length it found it's way to DR.. Petrie,
who is conducting the principal work
of excavation and exploration in
Egypt. Through DR.. Breasted, of the
Chicago University, the opportunity
came to purchase the possibly priceless
writings, and Mr. Goodspeed, who
holds a fellowship in New Testament
Greek at the university and is an ar
dent student of old manuscripts,
jumped at the chance. The bargain
was completed several months ago,
but the precious relics have just
posing safely in the vault at Cobb
Hall.
1t is supposed by the two or three
scholars who have already glanced at
this collection of papyri that they were
| found in the neighborhood of what was
once the city of ASCOT or Asiut. They
We're written in Greek during or before
| the time of the Roman Occupation of
| Egypt, and some few of them, partial
ly deciphered show date approxima
ting 100 A. D.. or during the reign of
| Emperor Hadrian. But there are
many others not yet investigated
which are evidently of a much older
writing, and give promise of some in
| teresting results. Among them is a
| fragment of Homer of great value,
and the chances of finding another
scrap of the New Testament of SINH
lar nature to that recently discovered
| in Egypt are thought bright.
| The papyri We're shipped to this
| country wrapped in cotton in two large
| tin boxes. Those manuscripts expect
ed to prove of the most value are in
long rolls, about six inches long and
half an inch to an inch and half in
diameter implying a total length Of
the scroll, when unrolled, of from two
to six feet. Some of the rolls are
| double in the middle, others are sealed
| with sealing-wax, and many of the
smaller enrolled pieces are strung on a
| string as If on a file. Some of the
seals and strings still remain. The
| papyrus itself was made of STRIPS Of
| pith laid side by side and covered with
a similar mat of strips laid at right
angles, the whole pressed together
| tightly. Many of the pieces of this
| costly paper which Mr.. Goodspeed re-
| ceived show this structure plainly, and
several different grades Of the paper
are plainly shown. That writing ma
| terlals We're costly in Cleopatra's time
is shown from the fact that much Of
the papyrus has been written on both
sides, literary manuscripts being used
| 10 ~, 70
| da.
| The large rolls of papyrus Mr.. Good
speed has not yet touched, preferring
to wait for the assistance of Dr.
| Breasted, who is an expert in the
handling and deciphering of ancient
manuscripts. But many of the small
err pieces he has carefully fattened
out and mounted between sheets of
| glass, and has already made consider
able progress in deciphering them.
| The manuscripts are found to be
principally commercial documents of
| Hadrian's time, with a few pieces of a
| literary nature. In the days in which
they were written the Romans farmed
out the collection of taxes, intrusting
| the work to various contractors. The
receipts and statements which the lat
| ter made in their accountings with the
government officials compose the bulk
of the smaller fragments. They are
| interspersed with business letters and
| memoranda of a commercial nature.
Frequently scraps of large manu-
scripts have been taken and used for
sasty figuring and notes of transact
| lions.
| Following is Mr.. Goodspeed's state
ment of what a weeks work accom-
plished in deciphering the papyri:
II put about fifty pieces under or
between glass; some of these, while
they are only fragments, are quite
large. say eight and a half by six inch
| es. Others-some thirty or more COM
mercial memorandum small, are
complete. 1 find also the Homer frag-
ment to which Professor Sayce called
attention when he looked over the
pieces in Egypt. 1t consists of frag-
ments of two columns, containing six
ty-seven lines in all. beginning with
the first line of Book viii of the al
lad" The number of such fragments
of Homer on papyrus known is of
course small, and this fragment we re-
| gard as treasure. 1t is quite legible
and is on stout papyrus.
Another good find is a letter from
| the governors or praetors of a district,
| apparently Arsinoe, or to an officer
| dealing with some naval affairs or sea-