The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-29
RECENT FINDS OF PAPYRI.
Fragments of Classical Literature
and Interesting Documents.

WY anu CIVILIZATION OF the most remote
ages, and giving TO the chronicles of the
fhaiaoAs restorative enlargement far
beyond our widest expectations, other
iaoorers are restoring to US the later chap
ters OF her history, when the lire of the
haIaons rad succumbed TO the conquer
ing Greek and Roman The second INSTALL
ment OF Greco-koman papyri. from the ex-
ploratlons at Ben Hesa, the ancient Oxy-
rhyncus, carried out by Messrs. Hunt and
Grenfeil, is rich in historical material.
1t is indeed an astonishing revelation of
the literary activity in classic times in
Egypt that some hundreds of manuscripts
have been obtained from the ruins Of a
small provincial town in the Thebiad
From this little town come classic frag-
ments of all the best known authors
Homer, Euripides Thucydides Plato Ken
ophon, and an unknown work of Aris-
tophanes. If this wealth of literature
was found in a minor centre such as
Oxyrhyncus, what might we have hoped
for had the treasures of Alexandria been
preserved? The vast number OF papyri,
both literary and official discovered dur
ing recent years in middle Egypt and the
Fayoum are alone proof of the treasures
destroyed by the fanaticism of Omar.
The series of papyr1 now published do
not contain such treasures as The Logia
of Jesus or the new poem of Sappho,
but we have a charming fragment of a
comedy of Menander OF which little more
than the name was eXtant until now. IL
is called 'Perikeiromene," or the Cropped
Lady" and relates to the story OF SOL
der who in a drunken fit cut off the locks
of his mistress. The small fragment of
the last act is so pleasing that it is to be
hoped that more will be found. For his
torical purposes one of the most important
fragments recovered is a list of victors
from b. c. iS0-i6S and 456-44S. The pc
Rod embraced is a rich one in literature
and art and the new list will enable us
to attain greater accuracy in fixing the
dates of writing of the olympian odes of
Pindar and Bacchylides. and of the sculp-
tors Polycletus, Myron. and others.
If the find is important in the additions
it affords to our knowledge Of classical
times it is still more important in the
insight it affords into the innermost cir
Giles of domestic life. The period covered
by these documents-nameiy, the first cen
turtles before and after the Christian Era
was one of great official activity, and the
affairs of many families can be traced with
minute accuracy. There is a most inter-
esting series of documents relating TO the
domestic affairs of a certain Tryphon
weaver of Oxprhyncus. Born in the year
a. D., he married a woman named Deme-
time. for in about 1916 A d. we find him
presenting a petition thus wOrded to the
courts: Il married Demetrons, the daugh-
ter of Heraclides, and for my part l pro-
vided for my wife, in a manner that ex-
ceeded my resources But she became dis
satisfied with our union, and finally left
the house carrying off property belonging
10 me- He demands her punishment and
the return of his property. The real source
% h.
as in modern cases.
Having rid himself of Demetrons, the
husband takes new wife, but. as a meas
ure of caution, only on trial for a period
apparently OF five months. The new wife.
named Saraeus, brings him a dowry of
forty drachmae of silver robe and d pair
of gold earrings, and these or the equiva-
lent value are to be returned at the end
of the five months, if the temporary union
is not successful. Soon after marriage
trouble appears in the form of the dis
carded wife, her mother and friends. who
assault the new bride, and once more the
"affaire Tryphon" is before the courts
Punishment being melted out, the house
hold is once more in peace.
From the newly discovered records we
can trace the history very clearly. The
pair lived together in happiness for at
least twenty-three years, and two sons
and a daughter were born, the second son,
Thoonis. in "a A. D.. and twelve years
later was apprenticed to weaver 10
learn the trade, his fathers eyesight hav-
ing grown too dim to teach him. All this
time the wife, Saraeus, had not demand
ed the dowry which should have been
returned to her after five months trial,
but, seven years after there seems to
have been a domestic crisis, though only
of a passing nature, and We find the
dowry paid through firm of local
bankers.
All family life does not appear 10 have
been quite so smooth as that of Tryphon's
household as the following petition of a
wife shows: The plaintiff says 4 s.@.
the daughter of Tpeon, married Sarapion,
bringing him by cession dowry amount
ing to 200 drachmae of silver. AS he was
destitute of means / received him into
my parents house. and for my part con-
Quoted myself blamelessly in all respects.
But Sarapion, having squandered my
dowry as he pleased, continually i'll
treated me, using violence toward me. ard
depriving me of the necessares of life;
finally he deserted NE, leaving me in a
state of restitution" Although told some
1900 years ago, there is a very modern
aspect about the petition of Syria and It is
to be hoped she was well rid of the brute.
Some of The private letters are ve-y
quaint, though we lack so rich a morsel
as the letter of the boy Theon in the FIST
series. Thus a writer breaks OFF in -
middle of letter relating to a law case
in Alexandria to ask: Let me know about
our bald headed friend; how is his hair
growing again on top?" In another letter
the writer declares 10 his sister as token
of sympathy. Il have not washed for a
month" Woman's wardrobe was always a
source of trouble. Thus in a letter from
Alexandria to his sister Il writer saws;
Many greetings and continued good
health. You have not sent me one word
about the clothes. either by letter or mes
sage; they are still waiting for you. until
you send me word" Such are but few
gleanings from these brown tattered and
torn papers, which have lain for centuries
beneath the sand of the Libyan Desert, to
be at last reverently opened and read by
those who prize these records OF the open
ing of our era: and each TO add its quota
to the reconstruction of the worlds history
The work OF the Egypt Exploration Fund
in this field OF Greco Roman research has
been rich in results, and Will. We hope.
still be continued with still greater sue
cess.
READERS OF BOOKS.