Women and Family Archives on Papyrus

Ann Hanson
Yale University
In the year since I began thinking about my paper for the conference Feminism &
Classics IV! the "euven Homepage of #apyrus Archives
$
has nearly %ouble% the
number of archives &ithin its purvie& reflecting not only the vigorous publication of
papyri in this ne& century but also the continual process of %ra&ing together papyri
that &ere once kept together by in%ivi%uals families an% institutions in anti'uity but
yet upon %iscovery in mo%ern times &ere sol% to anti'uities %ealers an% ac'uire% by
%ifferent institutional collections in (urope an% the U)* +ver time many papyri
receive% %iscrete publication in papyrological volumes an% ,ournals although inter-
connections &ith relate% te.ts remaine% unrecogni/e% even &hen a single institution
ac'uire% them* 0o& that the number of publishe% papyrus te.ts is approaching
12222 the process of reuniting %ocuments &ith their ancient o&ners procee%s apace
&ith electronic search tools accelerating the process of i%entifying in%ivi%uals an%
families &ho live% in a specific village or larger to&n at a particular point in time*
As is &ell kno&n the %ry climate of the %esert areas a%,acent to the eastern
3e%iterranean as &ell as the 0ile valley preserve% perishable materials from
anti'uity in large 'uantities provi%ing a rich store of information about the lives of
the inhabitants4from &ealthy lan%o&ners to those of mo%erate circumstances an%
even peasants struggling to make en%s meet* 5heir %ocuments &ritten in 6reek or
the various native languages
7
enable us to &rite local histories of their communities
an% tell the stories of the men an% &omen &ho save% their papers an% %ocuments in a
%etail similar to &hat is available for much later historical perio%s* In the first half
century or so of papyrus ac'uisition papyri an% ostraca &ere for the most part
unearthe% either by e.pe%itions mounte% by (uropean an% American institutions &ith
the e.presse% intent of bringing home the materials foun% or by (gyptian farmers as
they %ismantle% the mu%-brick houses of ancient settlements or a%,acent rubbish
heaps an% necropoleis in their search for fertili/er* 5he farmers or other clan%estine
%iggers sol% &hat they foun% to %ealers in anti'uities thereby isolating the te.ts a&ay
from their ancient conte.t* In a%%ition sophisticate% archeological techni'ues &ere
sel%om employe% by earlier e.cavators &ith a similar result although more recent
e.cavations have %one much to reme%y the failure of the pioneers to track fin%-spots
&ith precision* It is increasingly clear ho&ever that fe& papyri &ere foun% in
isolation an% both family papers an% a%ministrative %ocuments &ere in many
instances still groupe% together &hen they came out of the groun% %uring the last $72
years* In part ancient archives i%entify themselves even though %isperse% to various
papyrus collections in mo%ern times because the same in%ivi%uals an% places are
repeate%ly mentione%* 8hile prosopography plays an important role in reconstituting
an ancient archive that lost its archeological conte.t attention to ac'uisition recor%s at
the institutions currently housing papyri &hich might belong to a particular archive
often bolsters the ,oin since such recor%s give the %ate an% means by &hich the papyri
in 'uestion entere% the specific collection* Contiguous inventory numbers &ithin a
single collection or ac'uisition by several institutions at about the same time
contributes to the i%entification of an archive9s te.ts* #apyrologists have come to label
this latter process museum archeology! an% it is no& an important facet in the effort
to set in%ivi%ual te.ts back into the conte.ts from &hich they once %erive%*
:
5he
"euven Archives thus present efforts by several generations of papyrologists in a
format searchable by a &i%er group of scholars &ith interests in the ancient &orl%; it
%escribes the te.ts that no& constitute the more than :22 archives an% supplies
bibliographic information on each archive* 5his is an important source for the lives
ancient &omen actually live%*
I begin this paper by looking at three archives4those of Aurelia )arapias
5a<sis an% =abatha
>
for the archives of these three &omen share the curious feature
of having been foun% by e.cavators bun%le% or tie% up together* Although the &omen
themselves &ere separate% by time place an% socio-economic class all three &ere
apparently illiterate an% unable to rea% the papers they assemble%* 8hile the first an%
thir% archives consist e.clusively of business papers the secon% inclu%es only
personal letters* I shall then briefly pursue this same %ivision of either business
%ocuments or private letters in a number of other archives an% shall close &ith the
observation that many interesting papyri involving ancient &omen %erive not from
archives &omen themselves compile% but from archives collecte% by their menfolk
for men appear to have been the more rea%y to intersperse personal letters among their
business papers*
Aurelia )arapias &as a citi/en of the city of Antinoopolis foun%e% by Ha%rian
an% name% in memory of his favorite Antinous although her papers &ere e.cavate% in
the farming village of 5ebtunis in the south-&est corner of the Fayum by the +.for%
papyrologists =*#* 6renfell an% A*)* Hunt in the &inter of $?@@A$@22 an% publishe%
by them in $@2B*
C
)arapias9 relatively &ealthy family maintaine% a resi%ence in the
village as &ell as o&ning agricultural lan%s else&here an% perhaps a house in
Antinoopolis* )arapias9 bun%le of papers %ivi%es neatly into t&o groups4te.ts
concerning 3* Aurelius )arapammon %ating bet&een AD 7>? an% 71C an% those
concerning )arapias herself clustering in the years AD 71>-7B2 after she ha% been
&i%o&e% by her husban% #aulus an% left &ith a young %aughter #aulina to raise*
)arapammon &as most likely )arapias9 father an% his papers came into her han%s
&hen the ol% man %ie% perhaps shortly after she returne% to her natal home upon the
%eath of her husban%*
1
In the mi%-7129s )arapias petitione% the prefect asking that he
name her brother Aurelius )arapion alias Ale.an%er as guar%ian for little #aulina an%
a%ministrator of the chil%9s property no& that #aulus &as %ea%* As the petition
suggests )arapias e.pecte% #aulina to inherit from her father %espite the fact that he
%ie% intestate* 0onetheless #aulus9 estate &as subse'uently turne% over to his brother
#asigenes not to his %aughter* 5he fact that #aulina %i% not become her father9s heir
also e.plains the presence in Aurelia )arapias9 bun%le of a rescript from the emperor
6or%ian III %ate% to AD 7:? but copie% at some point after 6or%ian9s %eath in 7>>*
5he emperor &as respon%ing to a 'uestion involving legitimacy of chil%ren an% he
%eclare% that registration &as not legal cause for establishing either their legitimacy or
illegitimacy* #asigenes ha% apparently 'uestione% the legal status of his niece #aulina
offering proof to authorities that she &as illegitimate on the groun%s that her birth ha%
never been registere% an% thus she &as not eligible to become her father9s legal heir*
)arapias9 papers all &ritten in 6reek give no in%ication that she &as literate in the
language neither in her petition to the prefect &ritten throughout by the same
professional han% nor in the t&o copies of the inventories of #aulus9 property an%
personal effects each &ritten by a %ifferent professional scribe* )arapias9 habit of
fastening together papers important to her suggests that she relie% on non-verbal
signals such as the arrangement of the sheets an% the particular format of a specific
%ocument in or%er to %istinguish one from another* )arapias &as nonetheless by no
means unsophisticate% about the &orth of her husban%9s possessions an% the
meticulous accounting of the items an% slaves she surren%ere% to #asigenes inclu%e%
remarks on the con%ition an% value of in%ivi%ual pieces as &ell as %etails that &oul%
have best been kno&n to the &ife of the %ecease% #aulus; A complete lamp-stan%
&ith a Cupi% an% lamp value% at EFG1 %rachmas!H a tunic ne& from the fuller &ith a
"aconian stripe &orth a stater!H &hite linen cloths $7 in number &orth @1
%rachmas at eight %rachmas each*!
B
0o %oubt )arapias e.pecte% she &oul% ultimately
regain &hat she han%e% over to her former brother-in-la& an% the meticulousness of
the inventory un%erscores this aim on her part*
5he peasant &oman 5a<sis &as living in the Fayum village of Iaranis in the
mi%- to late-secon% century AD apparently an ol%er &i%o& &ho share% her %omicile
&ith t&o a%ult sons Apollinarios an% Ialalas their &ives an% chil%ren* Archeologists
from the University of 3ichigan bet&een $@7> an% $@:C &ere among the earliest
e.cavators to pay attention to the conte.ts in &hich papyri &ere foun% an% they
%iscovere% 5a<sis9 archive consisting of t&o personal letters in 6reek like&ise
fastene% together in a room of her house* 5he letters ha% been sent her by a thir% son
also name% Apollinarios as he ,ourneye% from Iaranis on his &ay to Jome an%
3isenum to serve in the Joman fleet*
?
+nce the young man arrive% in Cyrene he
%iscovere% a man traveling in 5a<sis9 %irection so he reporte% in the first letter &hich
arrive% back home the fact that he ha% earlier taken a%vantage of a traveler an%
%ispatche% his mother a letterH the letter from Cyrene may never have reache% 5a<sis
since it &as not tie% in her bun%le or she may have %iscar%e% it once it &as rea%* In
any case Apollinarios9 first letter in his mother9s collection marke% his arrival in
#ortus the harbor the emperor 5ra,an built to augment the capacity an% safety of
shipping at +stia the port of Jome* Apollinarios assure% his mother that he &as in
goo% health an% he urge% her to &rite to him sen%ing letters via )ocrates the local
collector of money ta.es at Iaranis for the latter ha% access to the imperial mail
service* Apollinarios9 secon% an% last surviving letter &as sent from 3isenum an% &as
like&ise occupie% &ith goo% &ishes for the family back home together &ith
assurances of his o&n &ell-being for I have come to a fine place! Keis kalon
toponL*
@
5he son enliste% the services of professional scribes to %raft in 6reek the
letters he sent home an% the mother 5a<sis &as probably compelle% to appeal to a
literate family member if there &ere one or a fello& villager to rea% each out to her*
)he may even have nee%e% some 6reek phrases in the letters translate% into (gyptian
for this &as the language of %aily life for many peasant villagers men an% &omen
alike*
$2
5he Me&ess =abatha &as a native of the Joman province of Arabia but the
=ar Iokhba revolt late in the reign of the emperor Ha%rian persua%e% her to flee
&ith her step-%aughter )helam/ion to the 0evel Hever in #alestine &here both
&omen perishe% in the so-calle% Cave of "etters! not far from the shores of the
Dea% )ea* In common &ith Aurelia )arapias of 5ebtunis she too &as a young &i%o&
&ith a small son to raise* After the %eath of her secon% husban% Mu%ah she &as the
o&ner of consi%erable property through inheritance an% &i%o&hoo%H Mu%ah ha% been
literate in Aramaic an% &rote &ith a practice% han% but =abatha &as illiterate in both
6reek an% Aramaic an% employe% scribes to &rite her %ocuments* )he kept these in
an attractive leather purse an% &hen she %eposite% the purse in a crevice of the cave9s
&all for safe-keeping she first place% the purse &ithin an animal skin refashione% to
hol% &ater but no& fille% by =abatha &ith balls of fla.en threa%* 8hile the contents
of the purse reveal her business acumen the balls of threa%s serve% not only as ra&
materials for making clothing but provi%e% her &ith the strings an% cloths &ith &hich
to organi/e the %ocuments she coul% not herself rea%* In a%%ition %ocuments of
particular interest to =abatha an% )helam/ion4a %ee% of gift to =abatha9s
mother
$$
)helam/ion9s marriage contract an% the ketubba for =abatha9s marriage to
Mu%ah4&ere also tie% together in separate bun%les along &ith %ee%s to property
mentione% in the contracts*
$7
8e simply %o not kno& &hy 5a<sis tie% her t&o letters from Apollinarios
together nor %o &e kno& &hat happene% to Apollinarios once he arrive% in 3isenum
4%i% he %ie in Joman service or %i% he merely become negligent an% forgetful
preoccupie% &ith his ne& life an% careerF +r %i% 5a<sis certainly a gran%mother %ie
before a%%itional letters arrive%F It is easier to suggest motives as to &hy the t&o
young &i%o&s bun%le% their %ocuments together or%ering separating an%
combining in or%er to convince others that they kne& &ell the contents of each
papyrus sheet for the %ocuments guarantee% o&nership of specific properties an%
fun%s* =oth young &i%o&s )arapias an% =abatha also retaine% copies of official
Joman pronouncements that a%%resse% the legal matters lying at the center of their
struggles to safeguar% a financial future for their young chil%ren* Aurelia )arapias
retaine% the emperor9s rescript on the relation of a chil%9s registration to legitimacy
an% =abatha retaine% in three copies &ritten out by t&o %ifferent han%s a 6reek
version of one of the Joman praetor9s actiones %ealing &ith guar%ianship of
orphans*
$:
)ome four months after the appointment of guar%ians for her orphane% son
=abatha sent a petition to the Joman governor be&ailing the niggar%liness of a male
kinsman &ho though he ha% sufficient fun%s neither pai% family %ebts nor
contribute% to the orphan9s maintenance! an% she repeate%ly proteste% the paltry
sums her son9s guar%ians &ere provi%ing*
$>
In +ctober $7C =abatha continue% her
efforts &ith a summons against one of the guar%ians an% file% a %eposition against
them both charging them &ith not supplying maintenance money commensurate
&ith the income from the interest on his money an% property an% commensurate in
particular &ith a style of life &hich befits him*! =abatha suggeste% that the guar%ians
allo& her to manage the boy9s assets so that she might increase them threefol%*
=abatha seems to have been no more successful than &as Aurelia )arapias in
manipulating into tangible results the copies of the official rulings they both ac'uire%
an% %iligently preserve% for the latest %ate% %ocument in =abatha9s purse from mi%-
August $:7 &as a receipt she issue% to the current guar%ian of her son in%icating she
&as receiving the same amount of money per month as eight years previous*
5he archives of )arapias an% =abatha consist only of business papers an% no
personal lettersH if the t&o young &i%o&s receive% letters from family an% frien%s
they either %iscar%e% them after rea%ing or kept private letters separate from their
%ocuments* =y contrast 5a<sis9 entire archive consiste% of the t&o letters an% no
business papers an% in this regar% she resembles )atornila an ol%er &i%o& of far
higher socio-economic status living in the Fayum village of #hila%elphia late in the
secon% century ADH )atornila also seems to have been illiterate although her five
a%ult sons &ere fully literate in 6reek* 5he archive she assemble% consiste% only of
letters an% is unusual in that of the eight sheets of papyrus in her assemblage t&o
sheets containe% t&o letters each an% one sheet three letters* )atornila &as the
a%%ressee in most of the letters an% &as mentione% throughout as her sons all of
them Joman citi/ens ,ourneye% a&ay from home an% &rote back concerns about
their mother9s &ell being* 5he most active letter &riter &as her el%est son )empronius
&hom government business ha% taken north to the area aroun% Ale.an%ria* =ecause
the letters &ere purchase% from %ealers an% are no& sprea% among at least five
collections in the U) an% (urope there is no &ay to kno& &hether )atornila isolate%
her letters in some fashion an% kept business papers no& apparently lost else&here*
$C
Another small archive of business papers in 6reek &as kept by =erenike a
literate &oman resi%ent in the %istrict capital of +.yrhynchos; a ,oint &ill of about AD
@?A@@ for =erenike an% her husban% #asion that enable% her not the couple9s sons to
take over #asion9s business affairs shoul% she outlive himH a %raft of a petition to the
Joman prefect in AD $27 in &hich Apion a &ine merchant an% former business
associate of #asion &ho ha% since %ie% accuse% =erenike of %efrau%ing him of &ine
%eposite% &ith #asion an% of refusing to return I+Us for money lent him by #asion
&hen she sol% his %eposit of &ine an% pockete% the profitsH an% finally an account of
income an% e.pen%iture &ritten by =erenike herself in a professional han% about AD
$21*
$1
Apion9s petition ma%e clear that his claims ha% alrea%y receive% a hearing
before the highest Joman official in the %istrict an% that =erenike succee%e% on that
occasion in th&arting his attempts to inspect #asion9s le%ger recor%ing the earlier
transactions an% to learn ho& much profit she ma%e through the sale of &hat he
claime% &as his &ine* 8hether or not the subse'uent attempt on Apion9s part resolve%
their %ispute is at present unkno&n an% may remain so in the absence of further
%ocumentation but as #eter van 3innen has pointe% out =erenike &as more than a
match for Apion confi%ent at the first hearing that it &as her right to li'ui%ate the
stock of &ine on han% at #asion9s %eath an% to brush asi%e %eman%s from a &ine
merchant &ho ha% been in %ebt to #asion*
5he archive of Aurelia Charite a &ealthy resi%ent of the %istrict capital of
Hermoupolis in Upper (gypt %uring the mi%%le of the fourth century AD contains not
only contracts of lease lists of lan% hol%ings an% their registration an% ta. receipts
that concerne% her property* It is likely that papers of her husban% the important
magistrate an% lan%o&ner Aurelius A%elphios came into Charite9s possession &hen
her husban% left her a &i%o& about AD :71*
$B
)he apparently then became the keeper
of the family9s papers from the %eath of her husban% until her o&n %eath some
fourteen years later &hen the archive passe% into the han%s of her son Aurelius
Asklepia%es* #apyri %ocumenting this large an% e.ten%e% family over three
generations are many an% %ebates continue as to the e.tent to &hich all these te.ts
&ere gathere% together into a single assemblage in anti'uityH nonetheless it seems
likely that those of concern to A%elphios Charite an% Asklepia%es a nuclear family
probably &ere*
$?
5here are no private letters in the assemblage of some forty te.ts
%irectly involving Charite although both Charite an% her mother Aurelia Demetria
alias Ammonia &ere literate in 6reek* 5he papers of A%elphios containe% one
business letter a%%resse% to him by an un%erling an% those of Asklepia%es three
letters concerning official matters* If the family receive% letters from relatives an%
frien%s these &ere kept apart or %iscar%e% an% have not been foun%* =y contrast the
archive of #loutogeneia contains at present eight highly personal letters from the years
AD 7@B-7@? an% although the letters ha% been sent to the Fayum village of
#hila%elphia an% &ere no %oubt foun% together there they &ere bought by the
University of 3ichigan from a %ealer an% &ere thus %eprive% of archeological
conte.t*
$@
All the letters &ere %ictate% to professional scribes an% family members
&ere probably illiterates since none close% their greetings &ith a salutation in their
o&n han%s as &as customary for literates to %o* Five of the letters &ere from
#aniskos to his &ife #loutogeneia &hile she &as resi%ing in the family home in
#hila%elphia an% in them he repeate%ly plea%e% &ith her to ,oin him in Coptus*
#loutogeneia never %i% an% accor%ing to #aniskos she %i% not even bother to ans&er
his letters but instea% &ent off to Ale.an%ria for a time %espite his urgings that she
stay in the village* +ther letters &ere sent by #aniskos to his brother-in-la& Aion an%
by #loutogeneia to her mother Helio%ora* 5here are no business papers in the
assemblage an% the separation of personal letters from %ocuments may provi%e an
a%%itional in%ication that #loutogeneia &as the assembler of the archive rather than
her husban% #aniskos as earlier e%itors assume%*
Archives name% for &omen in the "euven Archives are particularly fre'uent
in later anti'uity as more lan%e% property %evolve% to &omen through inheritances4
a topic of consi%erable interest to those stu%ying the social an% economic life of
&omen as note% in 3aryline #arca9s paper entitle% #apyrology 6en%er an%
Diversity*! Date% to the thir% an% fourth centuries AD are a number of business
archives gathere% by &omen of &hich four &ill be mentione% briefly hereH their
papers are concerne% &ith the management of agricultural an% other properties an%
no private letters have thus far been sho&n to a%here; Aurelia 5etoueis of the Fayum
village of Iaranis Ksi. te.tsLH an% from the %istrict capital of +.yrhynchos Aurelia
Diogenis alias 5ourbiaina Kthree te.tsLH Clau%ia Isi%ora alias Apias Kan as-yet-
uncertain number of te.tsLH Aurelia #tolemaNs Ksi. te.tsL*
72
5his latter #tolemaNs &as
the el%est %aughter of Aurelius Hermogenes a councilor an% presi%ent of the council
at +.yrhynchos a &ealthy man father of five chil%ren an% &ith a taste for 6reek
literature* #tolemaNs seems to have plun%ere% her father9s library after the ol% man9s
%eath reusing for e.ample the blank back of a papyrus roll containing book eighteen
of Mulius Africanus9 Kestoi for the copy she ha% ma%e of his &ill that confirme%
payment of her %o&ry*
7$
Archives that scholars name% after male members of the family because they
&ere the assemblers seem more likely to intersperse %ocuments of various types an%
they kept business papers together &ith private letters from an% about family an%
frien%s* 8hat usually occasione% personal letters &as of course the separation of
family members an% male members of the family not only ha% greater obligations
an% opportunities to spen% time a&ay from home but they apparently foun% it
congenial an% convenient to ,umble together the sheets of papyrus ac'uire% %uring a
so,ourn &hatever their content an% carry these back home* As a result interesting
letters from &omen to a male family member are often foun% in men9s assemblages* A
single e.ample of family papers collecte% by a man the archive of "* #ompeius
0iger veteran of the legio XXII Deiotariana must suffice for closer inspection
here*
77
5he archive assemble% by #ompeius 0iger contains at present fifteen te.ts no&
scattere% among at least five institutions an% publishe% at %ifferent timesH he &as
apparently born in +.yrhynchos but after his %ischarge from active service in AD >>
he may have settle% in the Fayum perhaps in the village of +.yrhyncha* 5he family
ho&ever continue% to maintain a house in +.yrhynchos a portion of &hich 0iger
ha% inherite% an% &hen he visite% the city he staye% there* His papers for the most
part %ocument his life in retirement4a census return a petition several contracts an%
some eight private letters a%%resse% to him from frien%s an% &omen of the family4
from his sister Charitous an% his %aughters Herennia an% 5haubas* "ike #ompeius
0iger the &omen of the family &ere literate in 6reek for they %i% pen greetings in
their o&n han% at the close if they employe% a professional scribe to &rite the bo%y of
a letter* #ompeius 0iger preserve% t&o letters from his %aughter HerenniaH in one
letter she remin%e% her father to purchase various items of clothing an% in the other
she reporte% that she ha% not only bought olives for him but aske% him for a%vice
about a contribution apparently %eman%e% from the family for the sanctuary of
)ouchos croco%ile go% of the Fayum* In both letters Herennia mentione% little
#ompeius! for she ha% name% her young son after her father an% perhaps also after
her brother another #ompeius*
7:
#articularly poignant then is 5haubas9 letter to her
father announcing Herennia9s %eath; *** she alrea%y came safely through a premature
%elivery on the ninth of #haophi* You see she gave birth to an eight-month chil%
%ea%
7>
she live% on for four %ays but then %ie% herself* )he receive% a funeral from us
an% her husban% as &as right an% has been transporte% to Alabanthis* )o if you
come an% &ant to you can see her*!
7C
)imilar assemblages by men of the family in
&hich &omen figure prominently are; the archive of 5ryphon &eaver in Mulio-
Clau%ian +.yrhynchos
71
the archive of 0emesion ta. collector at #hila%elphia for
Mulio-Clau%ian emperorsH the archive of Apollonios lan%o&ner at Hermoupolis an%
strategos of the Heptakomia %uring the Me&ish revolt late in the reign of 5ra,an*
5he evi%ence presente% here %oes point to a ten%ency among &omen in the
eastern 3e%iterranean %uring the Joman an% "ate Anti'ue perio%s &hether literate in
6reek or not to have been more likely than their menfolk to separate out private
letters from their business papers an% to have store% the personal letters they &ishe%
to keep in %ifferent an% perhaps more private places* 3y e.amples %o no more than
highlight an apparent gen%er %ifference in regar% to the proper %isposition of personal
letters to be save% after rea%ing* 5hose &ho &rite the social history of this society fin%
that archives collecte% by &omen often %ocument their intelligence an% business
acumen but that personal letters to an% about ancient &omen are as likely to occur in
archives collecte% by men as by &omen*
Bibliography: Women & Family Archives on Papyrus
=agnall $@@7; J*)* =agnall An +&ner of "iterary #apyri! Classical Philology ?B
$@@7 $:B->2*
=agnall an% Jathbone 722>; J*)* =agnall an% D*8* Jathbone Egypt; From
Alexander to the Copts =ritish 3useum #ress; "on%on 722>*
Cotton $@@:; H* Cotton 5he 6uar%ianship of Mesus son of =abatha; Joman an%
"ocal "a& in the #rovince of Arabia! Journal o !oman "tudies ?: $@@: @>-
$2?*
Cotton $@@B; H* Cotton Dee%s of 6ift an% the "a& of )uccession in the Documents
from the Mu%aean Desert! Akten des #$% Internationalen Papyrologenkongresses&
'erlin $(() KO Archi* +r Papyrusorschung =eiheft :L )tuttgart-"eip/ig
$@@B$B@-?1*
Cribore 7227; J* Cribore 5he 8omen in the Apollonios Archive an% 5heir Use of
"iteracy! in ,e !-le et le statut de la emme en .gypte hell/nisti0ue& romaine et
by1antine K"tudia 2ellenistica $BL H* 3elaerts an% "* 3ooren e%itors #eeters;
#aris "euven an% )terling VA 7227 $>@-$11*
6renfell an% Hunt $@2B; =*#* 6renfell an% A*)* Hunt 3he 3ebtunis Papyri volume 7
(gypt (.ploration )ociety; "on%on $@2B KP%3ebt* IIL*
Hanson 722C; A*(* Hanson 5he 8i%o& =abatha an% the #oor +rphan =oy! in ,a4
in the Documents o the Judaen Desert J* Iat/off an% D* )chapps e%itors =rill;
"ei%en an% =oston 722C ?C-$2:*
Hanson 7222; A*(* Hanson 8i%o&s too young in their 8i%o&hoo%! in I&
Claudia II; 5omen in !oman Art and "ociety D*(*(* Ileiner an% )* =* 3atheson
e%itors University of 5e.as #ress; Austin 7222 $>@-$1C*
Hanson $@?B; A*(* Hanson 5he eighth months9 chil% an% the eti'uette of
birth! 'ulletin o the 2istory o 6edicine 1$ $@?B C?@-127*
"e&is $@?@; 0* "e&is 3he Documents rom the 'ar Kochba Period in the Ca*e o
,etters; 7reek Papyri Israel (.ploration )ociety; Merusalem $@?@ KP%8adin IL*
3artin $@@>; A* 3artin Archives privPes et cachettes %ocumentaires!
in Proceedings o the #9th International Congress o Papyrologists A* =Qlo&-
Macobsen e%itor 3useum 5usculanum #ress; Copenhagen $@@> C1@-CBB*
3innen $@@?; #* van 3innen =erenice a business &oman from +.yrhynchus!
in 3he 34o Faces o 7raeco:!oman Egypt; 7reek and Demotic and 7reek:
Demotic 3exts and "tudies Presented to P%5% Pestman KP%,ug%'at* :2L A*3*F*8*
Verhoogt an% )*#* Vleeming e%itors (*M* =rill; "ei%en-=oston-IRln $@@? C@-B2*
Jo&lan%son $@@?; M* Jo&lan%son e%itor 5omen and "ociety in 7reek and !oman
Egypt Cambri%ge University #ress; Cambri%ge $@@?*
Van%orpe 7227; I* Van%orpe 3he 'ilingual Family Archi*e o Dryton& 2is 5ie
Apollonia& and their Daughter "enmouthis Collectanea Hellenistica >; =russels
7227*
Verhoogt $@@?; A*3*F*8* Verhoogt Family #apers from 5ebtunis! in 3he 34o
Faces o 7raeco:!oman Egypt; 7reek and Demotic and 7reek:Demotic 3exts and
"tudies Presented to P%5% PestmanKP%,ug%'at* :2LA*3*F*8* Verhoogt an% )*#*
Vleeming e%itors (*M* =rill; "ei%en-=oston-IRln $@@? $>$-$C>*
Ya%in $@1:; Y* Ya%in 3he Finds rom the 'ar Kokhba Period in the Ca*e o
,etters KJudaean Desert "tudies $L Merusalem $@1:*
Ya%in $@B$; Y*Ya%in 'ar:Kokhba; 3he !edisco*ery o the ,egendary 2ero o the last
Je4ish re*olt against imperial !ome 8ei%enfel% an% 0icolson; "on%on $@B$*
Youtie an% 8inter $@C$; H*C* Youtie an% M*6* 8inter 3he 6ichigan Papyri volume
? University of 3ichigan #ress; Ann Arbor $@C$ KP%6ich* VIIIL*
8ilfong 7227; 5*6* 8ilfong 5omen o Jeme; ,i*es in a Coptic 3o4n in ,ate Anti0ue
Egypt University of 3ichigan #ress; Ann Arbor 7227*
8inter $@:C; M*6* 8inter et al* 3he 6ichigan Papyri volume : University of
3ichigan #ress; Ann Arbor $@:C KP%6ich* IIIL*
8orp $@@$; I*A* 8orp Die Archi*e der Aurelii Adelphios und
Asklepiades K7riechische 3exte $BAL Ssterreichischen 0ationalbibliothek;
Vienna $@@$ KCP! TVIIAL*
8orp $@?$; I*A* 8orp Das Aurelia Charite Archi* K"tudia Amstelodamensia $7L
5erra #ublishing; Uutphen $@?$ KP%ChariteL*
$ 5he UJ" for the &ebsite is; Vhttp;AAlhpc*arts*kuleuven*ac*beAarchivesAalphaWlist*phpX*
7 In (gypt the native language &as &ritten in a variety of scripts Khieroglyphic hieratic
%emotic an% CopticLH the native language in %ocuments from the time of the =ar Iokhba
revolt consi%ere% here &as Aramaic*
: A particularly successful e.ample of museum archeology! not only augmente% the archive
conventionally kno&n as the archive of Dryton! a 6reek cavalry officer in service at
#athyris Upper (gypt in the mi%%le of the secon% century =C but also enhance% the role of
Dryton9s secon% &ife Apollonia an% their el%est %aughter KVan%orpe 7227 B-$7L* 5he paper
for this panel entitle% #apyrology gen%er an% %iversity! also gives a brief account of
Apollonia*
> 5he papers of Aurelia )arapias are liste% in the "euven Archives un%er Family archive of
)arapias!H those of 5a<sis an% =abatha appear un%er each &oman9s name* 5he archive of
=abatha &as foun% in a large three-chambere% cave in the northern escarpment of the 0ahal
Hever near the village of (n-6e%i in the Joman province of Mu%aea* 5he other archives
consi%ere% here come from (gypt*
C )ee 6renfell an% Hunt $@2B an% Verhoogt $@@? &ho lists )arapias9 %ocuments as &ell as
her father9s all of &hich &ere publishe% in 6renfell an% Hunt $@2BH see also Hanson 722C*
5he "euven Archives provi%e a %etaile% summary of )arapias9 papers an% bibliography* 5he
Fayum the mo%ern name for the Arsinoite nome lies to the &est of the 0ile some $22
kilometers south of CairoH it &as one of the richest farming %istricts in (gypt* For the Fayum
in general an% the Fayum villages of 5ebtunis Iaranis an% #hila%elphia as &ell as the to&n
of +.yrhynchos see =agnall an% Jathbone 722> $7B-$C> $C?-$1$*
1 For preferences of the &i%o&s of Joman (gypt &ith regar% to their living arrangements
see Hanson 7222*
B P%3ebt% II >21*$7 $> $? an% cf* P%3ebt* II C@2* Full bibliographic information for volumes
of papyrus te.ts an% their stan%ar% abbreviations are at;
Vhttp;AAscriptorium*lib*%uke*e%uApapyrusAte.tsAclist*htmlX*
? Youtie an% 8inter $@C$ KP%6ich% VIII >@2->@$L* )ee also Jo&lan%son $@@? $::-$:? an%
plate $B sho&ing the position of 5a<sis9 letters among the rubble that archeologists foun% in
her house*
@ P%6ich% VIII >@$*$2-$$*
$2 A private letter in 6reek to family members K"' TVIII $:?1BL begins &ith the statement
that it shoul% be translate% for the &omen for peasant &omen in the farming villages &ere
especially likely to kno& little or no 6reek* 5he paper for this panel entitle% 5he =ilingual
8ritten (nvironment of "ate Anti'ue (gypt! un%erscores the preference of &omen for the
(gyptian language in the %rafting of their legal %ocuments once this became a possibility in
the late perio%*
$$ )ee Cotton $@@B $B@-$?2* For the first e%ition of =abatha9s archive see "e&is $@?@H the
%ocuments mentione% are P%8adin I B an% $B Kboth in 6reekL an% P%8adin II $2 KAramaicL*
$7 For a reconstruction of =abatha9s purse see Ya%in $@1: 7C?-7C@ an% fig* $C?H for
%escription of the =abatha fin%s in "ocus 1$ near the south-&estern corner of Hall C see
Ya%in $@17 :?->2* #hotos of the purse an% the &rappe% papyri in Ya%in $@B$ 777-77?* Cf*
"e&is $@?@ :->*
$: 5he papyri mentione% in the te.t are P%8adin I 7? 7@ an% :2 ca* AD $7C* For the
appropriateness of the praetor9s pronouncement to =abatha9s case see Cotton $@@: $2>-$2?*
$> 5he papyri contesting fun%s provi%e% for her son9s maintenance are P%8adin I $: $> $C
an% 7B*
$C For the collections that house )atornila letters their publication over time an% an
e.ten%e% %iscussion &ith family tree see the "euven Archives un%er )atornila an% her sons*!
Also Jo&lan%son $@@? $>:-$>B*
$1 )ee van 3innen $@@?H the papyri are P%;xy* III >@: TTII 7:>7 an% "' TT $>>2@*
$B 8orp $@?$ pp* . an% ?H 8orp $@@$ pp* @-$2 1C* Also Jo&lan%son $@@? 7>$-7>: an%
plate 7B 7C@-712*
$? Here I have a%here% to the cogent arguments of 3artin $@@> CB1-CBB*
$@ For the first publication of the letters see 8inter $@:C 7BC-7@?* Also Jo&lan%son $@@?
$>B-$C$ an% the e.tensive %iscussion in "euven Archives un%er #loutogeneia! &ith family
tree an% a%%itions to the archive K"'TVI $7:71 an% a ne& fragment of P%6ich* III 7$@L*
72 5he archives mentione% are liste% in the "euven Archives un%er each &oman9s name*
7$ For Aurelia #tolemaNs see =agnall $@@7* For archives of &omen resi%ent in Meme KUpper
(gyptL %uring the seventh an% eighth centuries AD an% their business papers see 8ilfong
7227*
77 5he archive of "* #ompeius 0iger is liste% in the "euven Archives un%er #ompeius
0iger*!
7: Herennia9s letters to her father are "' VI @$77 an% P%6ert* II 1:H 5haubas9 letter
is P%Fouad I BC translate% in Jo&lan%son $@@? 7@:-7@>*
7> For the eight-month chil% see Hanson $@?B*
7C 5hat is you can see her mummy*!
71 In the "euven Archives these three are liste% as follo&s; 5ryphon &eaver 0emesion
Apollonius strategos* )ee also Jo&lan%son $@@? $$7-$$? K%ocuments involving 5ryphon9s
first an% secon% &ives Demetrous an% )araeus an% his mother 5hamounis preserve% &ith
%ocuments involving his &eaving businessL :71-:7B Kletter to 0emesion from his &ife
5hermouthis preserve% along &ith other personal letters an% his business papers from the
local ta. office &hich he hea%e%L an% $$?-$7> Kletters to Apollonios from his &ife Aline his
mother (u%aimonis an% other members of this large househol% intersperse% &ith business
papers from his time as chief official in the Joman bureaucracy of the HeptakomiaL* For the
&omen of the Apollonios archive see also Cribiore 7227*