New-York tribune., 1901-01-27
PAPYRIFROM THE
INTERESTING DISCOVERIES AMONG
WASTE PAPER SIXTEEN HUN
DRIED YEARS OLD
From The London Standard


During the last century the science of ORR
ehtai archseoiogy has taught many things
but none, perhaps. more important than to re-
gard nothing as rubbish or waste Broken
potsherds have restored important chapters in
old world history and proved the connection
between the isles of the A,gean and The Nile
Valley some six thousand years ago. Small
scraps of slate have shown us the artistic efforts
OF the ancient Chaldeans at an equally remote
PERIOD but still more valuable matter has been
extracted from the waste paper heaps of an
clent Egypt. and especially of the fertile prov
lnCe of the FayOum. Papyrus hunting in the
Fayoum is almost the latest development Of
Egyptian research. but already under the au-
spices of the Greco Roman branch of the Egypt
exploration Fund. it has yielded great results
1t is a work which possesses none of the fascina-
tion of the other branches of Egyptology. 1t
has little of the excitement of the exploration
OF buried temples or tOmbs: and the objects OBJ
tanned are. to all appearance, absolute rubbish
Yet in recent years the refuse of Oxyrhynchus
and the Fayoum towns has given sucn
precious fragments as the Logia or Sayings
of Jesus. a poem of Sappho. play of Menan-
derf, and now letter of Hadrian. we'll
several fragments of the New Testament. and
the important papyrus fragment in the coec-
tion of Lord Amherst Of Hackney. which con-
tans the LXX version of Genesis i. ID. followed
by the version of Aquila. written about the age
of Constantine. which may claim 10 be the oil lest
authority for this portion of Scripture In the
volume which Messrs. Hunt and Grenfe
publish. containing the FayoUm papyri. there
are many interesting finds among the waste
papers of the first four centuries Of our era.
Among the classical fragments the most in
terestnG is a portion of three columns of the
romance OF "thpreaS and t'alrrhOe," by
Charlton The evidence for the text of this
work has hitherto been a single manuscript at
Florence Of the thirteenth century. and in this
papyruS We have text which is nearer by
thousand years to the age Of the author. who
may be placed in the early years of the second
century We have also fragments Of Homer
Demosthenes CThird PhilippicD. and two prop
Ositions of Euclid G. 80 4D the latter of which
presents curious variants. among them that the
demonstration.
A LETTER FROM HADRIAN
The letter of Hadrian is a remarkably inter
estinG document. although it's manifest
school exercise precludes from attaching
too much Importance To IL In the text the En-
peror refers TO his approaching end and declares
his intention OF meeting it with fortitude and
resignation. based ON comparison of the length
Of his life with that of his parents. He
says My father died at the age ~ forty pri-
viite person 50 that have lived more than half
rs long again As my father" a statement which
IS quite in agreement with what We know Of the
life of lEius Hadrianus Afcr. who died when
Hadrian was ten years old There is also
pathetic reference To one who IS attending and
comforting the Emperor, who can he none
other than Antoninus The great antiquity of
the papNrus shows that il was written probably
within thirty, certainly within sixty. years OF
the Emperors death. 1t may. therefore. be
authentic version uf "A letter If iIadrian.
Among the miscellaneous papers which have
been recovered receipts. revenue returns,
accounts IF various kinds. as well as n large
number of private letters, OF the latter the
most interesting the bundle Of letters OF
certain Lucius Bellenus Gamellus. who owned
t:uhemeria. in the Fayoum. The letters We're
found in room in house at Kasr-el-Banat.
the ancient Euhemera. probably that of Epa-
gathus. tn whom most of them addressed.
and the correspondence covers a period of six
teen years GA ID ?t11W The life of this
ancient landowner is set before US with very full
details i'll these letters. From contract dated
n y. ID. ~ we know that Gameus
soldier discharged from the Legion. and at that
time aged sixty seven. 81 that from this cOrre-
spondence II appears that he reached the age
Of seventy seven. He had two sons. Sabinus
and H1rpOCratOn. and a daughter. of whom he
very fond. named Gamella. His letters
Hect his age for the handwriting is very shaky
and feeble. and in some he employs L
scribe. Most of the letters relate To the manage
Gnent of his estates the olive groves and the
farms. As a specimen may quote the follow
ing: Il blame YOU greatly for the loss of the
Two pigs owing tn the fatigue of the journey.
when YOU had in the village ten animals fit for
work icraciidas, the donkey driver. shifted thE
blame from himself. saying that you told him
- drive the pigs foot The meaning IS
that there were plenty of animals. the pigs
should have been sent in cart. Of which there
were several
JOVIAI. AS WE'LL AS SEVERE.
If there was Il severe side to the character OF
his old veteran. there also jovial
He never neGlects the public festivals. or dnmes-
tic anniversaries. Thus read. Buy
presents for the festival Of Isis for those are
accustomed To send them tn. especially she
stratcgi." In another. Send ten cocks from tho
market for the Saturnalia. and for Gemellas
birthday some deIiCacies and white bread" Very
kindly is the request. send twelve drachmaF
worth of fish for the little ones four-hundredth