Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-02-08
New York Press.

The newspapers Of today will give
the historian of the future complete
picture of the daily lives we are now
leading.
How is it possible to get the same
complete picture Of the lives Of people
Of past ages when there were no
newspapers, Papyrology, the science
| Of studying ancient papri, has given
US almost as perfect picture of life
! in Egypt 1000 years ago as any one
could obtain from our own newspapers.
! The very fact that there were no
newspapers in those days to make cur
/ rent knowledge and news familiar to
everybody served to make letter writ
ing frequent and important. Nova
! days every body assumes that every
body else Is informed from the daily
press about the war and any other
happening Of importance in any local
ity. In early times the only way to
spread news abroad was to write your
friends on a papyrus sheet.
Prof. Arthur S. Hunt of Oxford.
who is one Of the greatest experts in
papyrology, describes the latest work
in this field in the last issue Of the
Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, the
organ of the Egypt Exploration Fund.
Prof. Hunt was engaged in the famous
researches at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt.
The bulk Of the papri,' says Prof.
Hunt, proceed from the ruins of an
cient towns and villages; either from
deserted houses, where the papers,
which were of no use to their owners,
were left behind, lying about on the
floor or in a pot, as often in the Fay
| r,1hhich haonc
on which waste paper was thrown out
with other house refuse, as, for in
stance, at Oxyrhynchus and Hermo-
polls.
Such piles of refuse often rise to a
height of from 90 to 80 feet, and sim:
liar heaps can be seen in process OF
formation outside almost any modern
Egyptian village. The other mair
source of papri is tombs, in which oc
casionally roll is found. In the
Bodleian Library at oxford may b.
found a roll of Homer with a lock O.
hair of the lady with whom it wa!
= buried.
But the cemeteries supply us ii
another and less obvious manner. II
the third and second centuries B. c.
occasionally still later, mummies wer
often decorated with pieces Of painted
cartonnage, in the composition Q
which waste paprus was frequentl.
employed. 1t is possible to remov
the everything plaster and paint and t
separate the layers of paprus and s.
recover the documents in a more o
less legible condition.
Most of the earliest Greek papr
have been derived from this source
Sometimes, too, waste paper was USE
in the mummification of crocodiles an,
other animals. On two occasions W
made large discoveries in this way il
the Fayum. where the crocodile wa
held sacred
Letter writing, fortunately, wa
much practiced in ancient Egypt, an
there are quantities of letters betwee,
persons of all degrees Of education an
written on all sorts of occasions. w
may read, for instance, the encourage
ment and good advice sent by parent
to absent sons, or may recognize ia
miliar types Of character in the an
| swering illusions Of children to par
| ents-the spoilt boy who scolds hi
father for having left him at home In
stead Of taking him to the capital; tn
| Woll-COUQuCteQ yOUtus WHO SoiAPIe1S
emily assures his relatives that he
getting on very well, combining stud
with recreation, and the prodigal sol
who writes to beg his mothers forgive
ness and confesses that he has brough
himself to restitution.
We have formal Invitations, .couche
like those of the present day in tn
+ | third person, to dinner parties an
weddings, and lists of things that wer
eaten; accounts Of dining clubs Of tn
second century B. c., with a recor
Of the number of members and guest
present and the amount spent on wine
bread and garlands.
There are contracts with reciters an
musicians who are engaged to per
form on such festive occasions; al
order for an inquest on a slave VIII
had fallen off the roof Of a house il
his anxiety to secure good view o
some dancing girls; an announcement
of some approaching athletic sport
at Oxyrhynchus: athletic diploma
and lists Of winners; repeated allus
ions to horse racing, which becam
quite a rage in the Byzantine period
One papyrus gives list Of article
which has been left with local pawn
| broker. or a letter of the year Al A. D