Latin Military Papyri of Dura-Europos (P.Dura 55-145) : A New Edition of the Texts, with Introduction and Notes

Provides fresh access to vital paperwork of a Roman military unit in Dura-Europos, an outpost in ancient Iraq with Greek and Semitic population and languages. Introduces the historical context, the typologies of Roman military documents, the names of the soldiers and their everyday activities while serving the Empire.

This is a full new edition of the Latin papyri from Dura Europos, which provide a wealth of material for several branches of Classical scholarship. They are a priceless source for palaeographers investigating the history of Latin writing, inasmuch as they represent a real archive containing documents produced by scribes who were presumably competent in both Latin and Greek. Historians of the Roman Empire and Roman army are offered a glance inside the everyday life of a Roman camp built within a Hellenized town of Semitic origin with a flourishing Jewish community. The papyri also provide glimpses into spoken Latin and substandard varieties, and the Latin texts survive alongside written samples of eight other languages (Greek, Palmyrenean, Hatrean, Syriac, Parthian and Pehlevi, Hebrew and Safaitic). The editions are accompanied by translations and notes, while the volume also includes a substantial introduction, appendix, and thorough commentary on the Feriale Duranum.