The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-03
LErrERa or Low A0O.
Etevyday Documents That Throw sief'
On the tlee " the Aneienta.

EteVyday fpOcuments That Throw siahi
IN tine Ilfe " tire Anetents.
wAsHNdroS, May slr 'AntlduArians are
now engaged In the fascinating task Of
eearchlng the waste paper ~ antiquity
that NJ dreecs and H1fne-and much new
light ID being shed Upon the everyday
lie ~ those wonderful peoples, sald Dr.
Moses Emmanuel Caasanowlts of the Smith
I'VE And, . he oontInued, sfrotn The relics
| thus Rarnergd from rubbish that human
nature was then very much hke what u
Here, Tor Instance, Ia q letter written
by a boy In the country, In Egypt, to ,his
father contemplating a trip to Alexandria
eighteen centuries ago. IL 10 on papyr,isi
but, no YOU SOC, when new mnoh fegefnbled
the modern sheet. Of note paper. IL reads
thus, In very good Creek
~rheon, 10 his father Theon. greeting;
You have done q fine thing not to take the
with you 70 the city. II you won't take me
with you 20 Alexandria I won't write a letter
| or speak 10 you, or say good by 20 you;
! and II you 20 10 Alexandria I won't take
your Rand nor ever greet you again. That
In what VIII happen II you won't take me.
Mother said to Archelaus. IT quite upsets
him to DO left behind. IL was nice Of you
TO send me presents . . on the i2th, the
DAY you sailed' benu Io wv p.eoo'
II you don't, | won't eat, l won't drink. There.
now Good by.
st Is Just beginning TO be recognized
that these sources of Information on the
life of the ancients are full OF human interest,
to say nothing Of their value in the eye
Of the antiquarian. II Is only recently
that explorers have undertaken to slit the
rubbish heaps of antiquity for those
memorials contained In letters, business
papers, official documents. DC, eloquent
as telling what manner OF people they
emanated from and their social and polti-
cal environment.
aThe Egyptian exploration fund has
been productive OF much that has been
lone in that direction and the lower valley
Of the Nile has yielded a vast wealth OF
papyn, written In all possible languages
and separated in time by thousands OF years.
plorations, such as that undertaken. for
instance. In the valley OF Mesopotamia,
these papyri do not represent the remains
Of royal and patrician libraries or temple
archives. They are the fugitive remains
that have survived nnd Sar from the dsntn alsSard old
minute books and ledgers from public
and private offices, second hand and worn
these finds are OF unquestioned value
to the historian Of the future. No district
has yet yielded so plentiful a supply Of docu-
ments Of this description as the Fayum,
situated west OF the Nile and southwest
Of Cairo, and in ancient times containing
the famous Lake Moeris and the Labyrinth.
For the last twenty-five years this section
to the great museums Of the world, bearing
upon the every day life Of the anoients.
@The great mass Of these papyri Is Of a nom
literary character. and their contents Of
the most varied de~scription-lcve letters,
marriage contracts and divorces, proeia.
nations and notices Of penalties, minutes
Of law proceedings, assessments and re-
ceipts, besides school exercises, magical
tests, charms, and horoscopes, day books,
DC.
"Those In Greek, numbering many thou
sands, cover a period Of about a thousand
years. The oldest go back to the time Of
the early Ptolemies, or to the third century
B. c., while others are Of the Byzantine
era. A lesser source Of supply has been
found in the padding and wrapping of
mummies, for which inscribed papyri were
often used, especially in the Fayum.
The significance of these documents
for our knowledge Of antiquity, in the largest
They mean a resuscitation for us Of a large
and hitherto unknown part Of the life
Of the ancients. Here are some Of the
subjects treated In a recent acquisition
Of these documents. The ! language is
Greek:
"A proclamation or edict of a project con-
corning archives; military aocounts-oom-
missariat; report of a public physician;
account OF the default Of a treasury official;
repair Of public buildings; street repairs;
report OF a public meeting; search for a Grim
inal; warrant for arrest; registration of a
slave; emancipation Of a slave; receipt
for tax on beer.
"A rather lurid light is thrown on the
conditions of the period by a so-called
'libellus,' or affidavit of having performed
the required sacrifices, in the presence Of
commissioners appointed for the purpose,
by an old man suspected of being a Chris
tan. during the persecution Of Christians
by the Emperor Decius.
Turning to domestic relations, here you
see a monthly meat bill of a cook; an invita-
ton to dinner; an invitation to a wedding;
Reputation Of a betrothal; letter concern
ing a professional rat catcher; complaint
against a husband; complaint against a
wife: a deed Of divorce, &c. Lots OF nate
rial for a newspaper, but 300 years DID,