Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-21
wr,tten for me Star.


Epistle to the Romans-the wondrousiy
beautiful lost faems Of Baechyiides be-
sides many other literary manuscripts-an
these have been dug within the last ten
years from the sands of Egypt. at oxrhyn-
chus, an ancient Graeco- Roman settlement.
40 miles south Of Cairo.
But UNNECESSARILY valuable as are these
religious and literary records to the world
Messrs. Grenfell and Hunt. who have been
carrying on the work Of excavation under
the auspices OF the Egyptian Exploration
Fund, supported by American and English
subscribers, state that not whit less val
liable are the numerous recovered letters.
wills, receipts bills and other private and
public documents of two Thousand years
ago. For they give us a true picture OF the
life that was lived in this quarter OF the
globe at that far distant age, ana ciear M
many things that have all been dark to
historians antiquarians and others.
Among the papyri are eaicts Of Roman
emperors, letters addressed to Macedonian
kings, proclamations. with list OF the
Roman emperors, Of great value. histor-
icaiiy, customs regulations, lists of weights
and measures, prescriptions for the earache
and legal documents Of all sorts. such as
reports Of law suits, decisions. letters Of
emancipation of slaves, reports OF public
commissioners. But the most delightful
and the most interesting, because the most
natural, are the letters and other private
documents of the men and women OF
Oxyrhynchus. Though Egypt at the time
of their writing was under Roman rtue
Greek was the yernaeular, and all these
personal documents are in that language.
From formal receipt given by the mas
ter of the female slave mentioned therein
we learn that the wealthy and fashionable
ladies' Of Oxyrhnychus employed nurses for
their children, thus setting the fashion for
the fashionable and wealthy mothers or to-
day. This receipt reads:
"Chosion son Of Sarapion, son of Har-
pocration. his mother being Sarapias. OF
Oxyrhynchus, to Taneteris, daughter OF
ThonIs so Of Thonis, her mother being
Zoilous, OF the same city, with her guar
dian Demetrius, son Of Horton and Arsinoe
Of the same city, greeting:
IT acknowledge the receipt through
Heliodorus and his associate overseers OF
the bank at the Serapeum, near the city OF
Oxyrhynchus. for which Epimachus made
the promise of payment, from YOU or iour
hundred drachmae in imperial coin for
wages oil clothes and all other expenses
during the two years in which my slave
Sarapias nursed your daughter Helena,
known as her fathers child; who, when you
took her back had been weaned and had
edge that neither have nor shall have any
complaint or charge to make against you.
either in connection with this transaction
or any other matter up to the present time
This receipt Is valid"
Ptolema Changes Her Mind.
That the ancient DANES took to them
selves the right to change their minds APP
pears from this letter legally revoking Miss
Cor was it Mrs.2) Ptolema's will. 6
ITO the agoranomi of Oxyrhynchus from
Apollonius, son Of Ptolemaeus. assistant;
IT beg leave to inform you that the
strategus of the nome, Demetrious, in
structed me to give up to Ptolena, daugh-
ter of straton and Dionysia, Of Oxyrhyn-
chus, the will which you drew up for he-
In Mechetr of the ninth year Of the deitied
Trajan, under seals. In compliance with
her own request: and that she has accord
ingly received back the will through me.
The nineteenth year Of the Emperor Caesar
Trajanus Hadrianus Augustus. Phar-
mouth Is.
81, Ptolema daughter OF Straton, have
received my aforesaid will with the seals
intact. I, Uedon, son of Callieofnus, have
been registered as her guardian. and signed
for her, as she was unable to write, at the
same date
These ladies had some property worth
lowing list of effects:
List OF effects: 1 white garment of
pure wool, 2 white vests, 2 undyed do,
purple do, white wells. 1 undyed do,
linen cloths from Tarsus, shawis, tunics
with a broad purple border, 2 girdles
cioaks 2 shirts, 8 cushions, pillosw z
mattresses, wooden tunic and veil, white
tunic, new cover, bronze vessels. small
vessel. bronze kettles, 1 gown. Sent to
the Oxyrhynchite nome band, 2 chemises,
20 minae OF silver"
Bills. too, were in general use. One from
a cook who probably did the marketing
furnishes some idea OF what was eaten in
Egypt at the time QS3 A. d.;
Cooks account Throth 4th, oath year.
-Four pounds OF meat, trotters, tongue.
18th. 2pounds Of meat, tongue. 2 kidneys;
18th. / pound OF meat, breast: 14th, :
pounds Of meat. breast: 18th. poundsaof
meat: 18th. 2 pounds of meat, tongue:
paunch. 2 Kidneys; 23d, pounds of meat,
1 paunch, trotters; 26th, / tongue; Both,
breast. And before this. on Mesore 18th. 2
/ breast: 23d, half a head, with the tongue,
Q kidneys; 24th. pounds, kidneys; 18th.
for Tryphon pounds, ear. 1 trotter.
kidneys; 10Th. pounds. trotters. tongue;
I'd, intercaiary day, 1 tongue; Sd. breast"
So the mistress Of the house owed some
thing On last months bill.
Invitation to Dinner.
Some Invitations to dinners and wedding
feasts were also discovered The forms
of these. SO much like our own. go to show
how conservatiyely society has always been
in its formal ways of expressing itself. An
invitation to dinner runs:
"Chaeremon requests your company at
dinner at the table OF the Lord Scraps in
the Serapeum tomorrow, the 18th, at
O'clock"
Here is an invitation to wedding feast:
''Herais requests your company at dinner
In celebration of the marriage of her chill
dren at her house tomorrow, the 9Th. at
o'clock"
Perhaps this was double wedding. or
possibly It was the pretty custom for the
mother OF the bride to speak of bride and
bridegroom as her children.
A less formal invitation to a religious
festival reads:
Greeting. my dear se-enia, from Pet
osiris Be sure. dear, to come up on the
Goth for the birthday festival of the god.
and let me know whether you are coming
by boat or by donkey. In order that we may
send for you accordingly. Take care not