Egyptian women's letters
Women's letters from ancient Egypt, 300 BC-AD 800, by Roger S. Bagnall and Raffaella Cribiore; with contributions by Evie Ahtaridis.
This book has a number of letters written or dictated by women of this time and place, along with information on where they were found and what the original language was. Most of them were in Greek, but there were some other languages such as Coptic. It's pretty awesome. I highly enjoyed the mixture of Greek and Egyptian given names, and references to their native religion. Here are a few examples (everything that follows comes out of the book).
PSI 3.177
Isidora to Hermias
Second-third century AD
Location written: Unknown
Location of addressee: Oxyrhynchos (?)
Location found: Oxyrhynchos
Greek
"Isidora to Hermias her lord brother, very many greetings. Do everything you can to put everything off and come tomorrow; the child (?) is sick. He has become thin, and for 6 days he hasn't eaten. Come here lest he die while you're not here. Be aware that if he dies in your absence, watch out lest Hephaistion find that I've hung myself ..."
The letter is written on the back of a text in Demotic. The thick pen used by the writer is responsible for the stiff look of the whole. The hand is not completely regular but shows a definite competence. There are very few ligatures and some variation in letter size.
The Greek of the letter is direct and somewhat colloquial, with some phonetic spellings. Overall, however, it is clear as far as it is preserved.
Isidora is afraid that her child is about to die, and she asks Hermias, presumably her husband, to come home at once. She suggests the extremity of her own mental state by warning -- how hyperbolically we cannot say -- that she might commit suicide if the child dies and Hermias is not there to support her. The letter is evidence against the notion that high child mortality led to a lack of "emotional investment" in young children.
Notes
The text continues for another half-dozen lines, of which only the beginnings are preserved, not enough for translation. There are further references to coming and to eating.
child: P[ai]dion. Only part of the supposed pi is preserved, and it is very doubtful. The traces of the letter look more like delta, lambda, or even chi, but the first two do not suggest any plausible restorations and chi offers only ch[oiri]dion, "piglet" (suggested by G. Parassoglou, accent after second a), which would hardly seem to fit the dramatic language following unless it is a pet name.
Location of object
Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, PSI 177
***
O.Bodl.dem 399
Tachib writes about plants
First or second century AD (?)
Location written: Apollonopolis Heptakomia
Location of addressee: Thebes (?)
Location found: Thebes (?)
Demotic
"Tachib daughter of Osoroueris: I have caused a bundle of grapevines to be brought to Osoroueris. Let the ring be sent later, but have a seedling sent to me (now) for the expense. Send me a message; come to Qus. Written."
Ostracon written in a clear Demotic hand of the Roman period.
The letter is a fairly typical message about the sending and receiving of goods, mainly plants in this case.
Note
Qus: the Egyptian name of Apollonopolis (Parva) or Heptakomia.
Location of object
Oxford, Bodleian Library, Demotic ostracon, inv. 399; now in the Ashmolean Museum.
***
SB 16.12589
Plousia to her brother Syros concerning his coming
Second century AD
Location written: Alexandria
Location of addressee: Unknown
Location found: Unknown
Greek
"Plousia to Syros her brother, greeting. I make obeisance for you before the lord Sarapis and the gods who are in the same temple. Learning that you are well, I thanked all the gods. You will say to Par... 'We did everything so that the person who carries this letter might have his livelihood until you come to us.' But if you decide not to come, send us signs because we waited during the strife ... of the things in the storeroom and knowing for sure that you are well I will be free from worry. And moreover, I am also asking you this, brother ...
(Address on back): Deliver to Syros from (Plousia)."
The letter is written proficiently even though the writer had some occasional problems in controlling the ink flow, particularly at the beginning. The letters are mostly separated, and the lines are well spaced. The whole conveys a sense of rhythm and proportion.
The letter is well written in every respect and observes correct orthography, morphology, and syntax. Phonetic mistakes are also very few.
In writing to her "brother," Plousia mainly entrusts to him a message for someone else that contains an intriguing reference to a polemos (strife). This count indicate anti-Jewish riots under Flaccus or later conflicts that ravaged Alexandria.
Location of object
Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Library, Papyrus Collection, inv. 1622
***
W.Chr. 100
Serenilla to her father Sokrates
Second-third century AD
Location written: Alexandria
Location of addressee: Unknown
Location found: Arsinoite nome
Greek
"Serenilla to Sokrates her father, many greetings. Before all, I pray that you are well, and I make your obeisance each day before our lord Sarapis and the gods who share the temple. I want you to know that I am alone. Keep in mind, "My daughter is in Alexandria," so that I may know that I have a father, so that they may not see me as someone without parents. And the man bringing you the letter, give him another concerning your health. And I greet my mother and my brothers and Sempronius and his people.
(Address on back): Deliver it to Sokrates son of Skiphas from his daughter Serenilla through her brother Sarapammon."
It is possible -- albeit not certain -- that Serenilla wrote this letter herself. This letter's hand betrays all the usual uncertainties facing someone who was not writing on a daily basis: varying letter size, corrections, irregular ink dipping, and some degeneration toward the end. Occasional multistroke letters show that the writer was getting tired.
The letter contains the usual phonetic spellings, particularly iotacisms. Otherwise it is written in standard epistolary formulas, except for the central section.
Serenilla is at pains to point out that she is alone in Alexandria and to ask her parents to keep her in mind, thinking that to the outside world she looks like an orphan. It is curious that she refers to the person bringing the letter in impersonal terms, but the address identifies the bearer as her brother Sarapammon. Even if "brother" is not to be taken literally, it may indicate that the letter was written before Serenilla knew who would deliver it.
Note
Sarapis: This phrase is in many letters the sole evidence for having been written in Alexandria. Here we have the explicit indication of Alexandrian origin immediately afterward in the letter.
Location of object
Berlin, Staatliche Museen, Papyrussammlung, inv. 6901.
***
SB 16.12981
Isis to her brother Serapion
Second-third century AD
Location written: Unknown
Location of addressee: Unknown
Location found: Unknown
Greek
"Isis to Serapion her brother, many greetings. I make obeisance for you every day before the local gods. (Know) from me that Philon did not (give me) a single artab of wheat ... 20 drachmas (or: that owing 1 artab of wheat, he [someone] ... 20 drachmas) and know that it is all right. Send me for the expense ... I sail up to you. Come to us as soon as possible. I gave 12 drachmas for fodder. Salute warmly your father. Your son salutes you warmly and also (your) mother and my mother and sister ...
(Address on back): Give it to Serapion from (Isis)."
Apparently Serapion reused the back of the letter sent by Isis. This is an "evolving" hand. The letters, which are separated, are jerky and rigid even though they are not badly formed individually and even aim at some elegance. The inexperienced writer got tired toward the end, and the letters became larger.
A quick and practical letter expressed with simple and short phrases with no connective particles. The writer was familiar with Greek and did not use too many phonetic spellings but was interested only in efficient, unadorned prose.
There is nothing compelling in the letter to make one view "brother" Serapion as the "partner or friend" of Isis, as the editor suggests. He may easily have been her husband who was paying a visit to his father and maybe discharging some business. Isis was home with other relatives and kept him informed about the state of their affairs.
Location of object
Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Library, Papyrus Collection, inv. 1026.
This book has a number of letters written or dictated by women of this time and place, along with information on where they were found and what the original language was. Most of them were in Greek, but there were some other languages such as Coptic. It's pretty awesome. I highly enjoyed the mixture of Greek and Egyptian given names, and references to their native religion. Here are a few examples (everything that follows comes out of the book).
PSI 3.177
Isidora to Hermias
Second-third century AD
Location written: Unknown
Location of addressee: Oxyrhynchos (?)
Location found: Oxyrhynchos
Greek
"Isidora to Hermias her lord brother, very many greetings. Do everything you can to put everything off and come tomorrow; the child (?) is sick. He has become thin, and for 6 days he hasn't eaten. Come here lest he die while you're not here. Be aware that if he dies in your absence, watch out lest Hephaistion find that I've hung myself ..."
The letter is written on the back of a text in Demotic. The thick pen used by the writer is responsible for the stiff look of the whole. The hand is not completely regular but shows a definite competence. There are very few ligatures and some variation in letter size.
The Greek of the letter is direct and somewhat colloquial, with some phonetic spellings. Overall, however, it is clear as far as it is preserved.
Isidora is afraid that her child is about to die, and she asks Hermias, presumably her husband, to come home at once. She suggests the extremity of her own mental state by warning -- how hyperbolically we cannot say -- that she might commit suicide if the child dies and Hermias is not there to support her. The letter is evidence against the notion that high child mortality led to a lack of "emotional investment" in young children.
Notes
The text continues for another half-dozen lines, of which only the beginnings are preserved, not enough for translation. There are further references to coming and to eating.
child: P[ai]dion. Only part of the supposed pi is preserved, and it is very doubtful. The traces of the letter look more like delta, lambda, or even chi, but the first two do not suggest any plausible restorations and chi offers only ch[oiri]dion, "piglet" (suggested by G. Parassoglou, accent after second a), which would hardly seem to fit the dramatic language following unless it is a pet name.
Location of object
Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, PSI 177
***
O.Bodl.dem 399
Tachib writes about plants
First or second century AD (?)
Location written: Apollonopolis Heptakomia
Location of addressee: Thebes (?)
Location found: Thebes (?)
Demotic
"Tachib daughter of Osoroueris: I have caused a bundle of grapevines to be brought to Osoroueris. Let the ring be sent later, but have a seedling sent to me (now) for the expense. Send me a message; come to Qus. Written."
Ostracon written in a clear Demotic hand of the Roman period.
The letter is a fairly typical message about the sending and receiving of goods, mainly plants in this case.
Note
Qus: the Egyptian name of Apollonopolis (Parva) or Heptakomia.
Location of object
Oxford, Bodleian Library, Demotic ostracon, inv. 399; now in the Ashmolean Museum.
***
SB 16.12589
Plousia to her brother Syros concerning his coming
Second century AD
Location written: Alexandria
Location of addressee: Unknown
Location found: Unknown
Greek
"Plousia to Syros her brother, greeting. I make obeisance for you before the lord Sarapis and the gods who are in the same temple. Learning that you are well, I thanked all the gods. You will say to Par... 'We did everything so that the person who carries this letter might have his livelihood until you come to us.' But if you decide not to come, send us signs because we waited during the strife ... of the things in the storeroom and knowing for sure that you are well I will be free from worry. And moreover, I am also asking you this, brother ...
(Address on back): Deliver to Syros from (Plousia)."
The letter is written proficiently even though the writer had some occasional problems in controlling the ink flow, particularly at the beginning. The letters are mostly separated, and the lines are well spaced. The whole conveys a sense of rhythm and proportion.
The letter is well written in every respect and observes correct orthography, morphology, and syntax. Phonetic mistakes are also very few.
In writing to her "brother," Plousia mainly entrusts to him a message for someone else that contains an intriguing reference to a polemos (strife). This count indicate anti-Jewish riots under Flaccus or later conflicts that ravaged Alexandria.
Location of object
Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Library, Papyrus Collection, inv. 1622
***
W.Chr. 100
Serenilla to her father Sokrates
Second-third century AD
Location written: Alexandria
Location of addressee: Unknown
Location found: Arsinoite nome
Greek
"Serenilla to Sokrates her father, many greetings. Before all, I pray that you are well, and I make your obeisance each day before our lord Sarapis and the gods who share the temple. I want you to know that I am alone. Keep in mind, "My daughter is in Alexandria," so that I may know that I have a father, so that they may not see me as someone without parents. And the man bringing you the letter, give him another concerning your health. And I greet my mother and my brothers and Sempronius and his people.
(Address on back): Deliver it to Sokrates son of Skiphas from his daughter Serenilla through her brother Sarapammon."
It is possible -- albeit not certain -- that Serenilla wrote this letter herself. This letter's hand betrays all the usual uncertainties facing someone who was not writing on a daily basis: varying letter size, corrections, irregular ink dipping, and some degeneration toward the end. Occasional multistroke letters show that the writer was getting tired.
The letter contains the usual phonetic spellings, particularly iotacisms. Otherwise it is written in standard epistolary formulas, except for the central section.
Serenilla is at pains to point out that she is alone in Alexandria and to ask her parents to keep her in mind, thinking that to the outside world she looks like an orphan. It is curious that she refers to the person bringing the letter in impersonal terms, but the address identifies the bearer as her brother Sarapammon. Even if "brother" is not to be taken literally, it may indicate that the letter was written before Serenilla knew who would deliver it.
Note
Sarapis: This phrase is in many letters the sole evidence for having been written in Alexandria. Here we have the explicit indication of Alexandrian origin immediately afterward in the letter.
Location of object
Berlin, Staatliche Museen, Papyrussammlung, inv. 6901.
***
SB 16.12981
Isis to her brother Serapion
Second-third century AD
Location written: Unknown
Location of addressee: Unknown
Location found: Unknown
Greek
"Isis to Serapion her brother, many greetings. I make obeisance for you every day before the local gods. (Know) from me that Philon did not (give me) a single artab of wheat ... 20 drachmas (or: that owing 1 artab of wheat, he [someone] ... 20 drachmas) and know that it is all right. Send me for the expense ... I sail up to you. Come to us as soon as possible. I gave 12 drachmas for fodder. Salute warmly your father. Your son salutes you warmly and also (your) mother and my mother and sister ...
(Address on back): Give it to Serapion from (Isis)."
Apparently Serapion reused the back of the letter sent by Isis. This is an "evolving" hand. The letters, which are separated, are jerky and rigid even though they are not badly formed individually and even aim at some elegance. The inexperienced writer got tired toward the end, and the letters became larger.
A quick and practical letter expressed with simple and short phrases with no connective particles. The writer was familiar with Greek and did not use too many phonetic spellings but was interested only in efficient, unadorned prose.
There is nothing compelling in the letter to make one view "brother" Serapion as the "partner or friend" of Isis, as the editor suggests. He may easily have been her husband who was paying a visit to his father and maybe discharging some business. Isis was home with other relatives and kept him informed about the state of their affairs.
Location of object
Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Library, Papyrus Collection, inv. 1026.