Papyri from Tebtunis in Egyptian and in Greek

This book makes available 53 papyri: 37 are inscribed with texts written in the native Egyptian scripts, 16 are in Greek. Of the former, 23 papyri are written in the demotic script, many of which contain parts of literary texts; the hieratic and hieroglyphic texts are chiefly religious. The Greek papyri contain literary texts and documents.

Tebtunis in the Graeco-Roman Period was a flourishing town in the south of the Faiyum osis. It was built around the temple of the local crocodile-god, Soknebtunis, and the main street was lined by the numerous houses and meeting-places of his priests. During the first half of this century an enormous quantity of papyri bearing texts and documents of all kinds, mostly written in Greek, was discovered there, some in excavations and some in chance finds. This volume makes available 53 papyri of which 37 are inscribed with texts written in the native Egyptian scripts, with 16 in Greek. Of the former, the most interesting group comprises 23 papyri written in the demotic script, many of which contain parts of literary texts; the hieratic and hieroglyphic texts are chiefly religious in character. The Greek papyri contain both literary texts, chiefly Graeco-Roman, and documents.