The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-03
PAFYRI FROM THE FORUM.
Discoveries Among Waste Paper Six.
teen Centuries Old

| During the last century the science OF
| Oriental archaeology has taught us many
| things, bu1 none. perhaps more impor-
tant than to regard nothing as rubbish or
waste. Broken potsherds have restored
| important chapters in Old World history
| and proved the connection between the
| isles of the Aegean and the Nile Valley
| some 5000 years ago. Small scraps of
slate have shown us the artistic efforts
Of the ancient Chaldeans at an equally re-
mote period; but still more valuable mat
| ter has been extracted from the waste pa
per heaps Of ancient Egypt, and especially
! Of the fertile Province OF the Fayoum.
| Papyrus ting in the Fayoum rs almost
the latest DEVELOPMENT of Egyptian re-
! search. but already. under the auspices OF
| the Greco Roman branch OF the Egypt Ex-
ploration Fund. it has yielded great re-
| suits. II Is a work which possesses none
! OF the fascination of the other branches of
Egyptoiogy. 1t has little OF the excite
ment Of the exploration of buried 4emples
| or tombs; and the objects obtained are to
all appearances. absolute rubbish Yet in
recent years the refuse OF 0xyrhynchus
| and the Fayoum towns has given us such
precious fragments as the Logia or Say
ings of Jesus" poem Of Sappho, a play
OF Msnanderf and now letter of Hadrian
as well as several fragments of the New
Testament and the important papyrus
fragment in The collection OF Lord Am
hersl OF Hackney which contains the
Xxx version OF Genesis /. Is. followed by
the version Of Aquila written about the
age OF -.stantine which may claim TO be
the oldest authority for this portion of
Scripture In the volume which Messrs
Hunt and GrenfeIl now publish, containing
the Fayoum Papryi there are many inter-
esting finds among the waste papers OF the
first four centuries of our era
Among the classical fragments the
most interesting is a portion of three
columns of the romance OF cha ereas and
Callirrhoe" by Charlton. The evidence
for the text of this work has hitherto
been single manuscript at Florence of
the thirteenth century, and in this papy-
rus we have q text which is nearer by a
thousand years to the age Of the author.
who may be placed in the carly years OF
the second century. We have also frag-
ments of Homer. Demosthenes Third
Pbiiippic), and two propositions of Eu-
cid Il. 80. Az, the latter OF which pre-
sents curious variants. among them that
the diagram OF Prop. 80 Is drawn at the
end of the demonstration.
The letter of Hadrian is remarkably
interesting document. although is mani
fest use as a school exercise precludcs -
from attaching too much Importance 20
II. In the text the Emperor refers 10 his
approa ching end and declares his inten-
tion Of meeting~it with fortitude and
resignation. based on a comparison of
the length of his own life with that OF
his parents He says; MY father Died
at the age OF forty private person, so
that / have lived more than half as long
again as my father" statement which
Is quite in agreement with what We know
of the life of Aelius Hadrianus Afer
who died when Hadrian was ten years o d
There is also a pathetic reference 10