- 4
Near-complete letter to Sarapion asking for foods including garlic, in Greek, manuscript on papyrus [Egypt, second or first century BC.]
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
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Description
- Papyrus
3 pieces forming a single sheet, 215mm. by 120mm., 13 lines of Ptolemaic cursive in black ink, endorsed "To Sarapion" on reverse, palimpsest papyrus with small marks from earlier layer of ink (only a few characters legible in upper right-hand corner), loss of some parts of lines in one crack, other cracks, holes and small areas of wear, but legible and in fair condition, mounted in glass
Catalogue Note
From the collection of Anton Fackelmann (1916-86), conservator of the Vienna Papyrus Sammlung, and presumably recovered from mummy cartonnage.
This is a remarkably early letter in a near-complete state of preservation in its twenty-third century of existence. The author’s primary interest (here at least) was food, and he asks Sarapion to send him a long list of twenty-three foodstuffs "because I need those", and begs "also send garlic, because you have this". He ends the letter with the personal entreaty, "pay attention to your body, so that you stay healthy. Stay well".