Some 'ghost-names' to disappear from Egyptian onomastic

SOME "GHOST-NAMES" TO DISAPPEAR

FROM EGYPTIAN ONOMASTIC

ΆΠΑΤΩΝΙΣ — ΆΠΕΨΩΝΙΣ P. LOND. I l l (P. 235) 870, 10

The document comes from Panopolis in the 4th c. A.D., and concerns a loan

of money secured by a pledge on the borrower's part of a house. The boundaries

of the property are specified, and we read in 1. 10 that the next house south

of this one belongs to a certain Τασαιτος Απ.τωνατος. The transcript of what

the editor had taken for a patronym was subsequently corrected to Άπεψώνεως

by G r e n f e l l and H u n t , who informed U. W i 1 с к е η, engaged on a

crit-ical survey of the volume, of their corrections. The correction published in

Arch. IV p. 558 was then reprinted in BL, along with the annotation that

B e l l preferred to read Άποςτώνεως (A footnote was added to the effect that

his reading was checked on the original, and communicated to the editors by

letter).

Both readings are given in Ρ r e i s i g к e's NB. Both are taken from

rec-ognised authorities, and B e l l propounded his version already knowing the

opinion of his learned colleagues. The difference between the two readings

is extremely slight : В e 11 sees an alpha (certain ?) where G. and H. perceive

a damaged (or doubtful) epsilon. Tau and psi are often extremely similar to

each other, and the difference of opinion that has arisen between the two scholars

mentioned above shows that evidently the letter was written in such a way

that it cannot be identified for certain. Thus the only way to settle the question

is to look for arguments other than palaeographic ones that will support one

or other of these readings.

There is a village called Ψώνις in the Panopolite nome, situated on the

opposite bank of the Nile not far from the metropolis.

It may be assumed

D. H a g e d o r n , H. С. Y o u t i e, Urkunden aus Panopolis, ZPE 7, 1971, p. 33 (Papyrus No. 13, note ad 1.2). Apart from the other authors listed there, T. C. S к e a t, in: P. Göt. 4, 16 recognized the village name. See: P. Beatty Panop. p. XXXIII and note 1. See also the next footnote.

2 2 4 Z. B O R K O W S K I

t h a t people f r o m t h i s village lived in t h e c a p i t a l of t h e n o m e . As a m a t t e r of f a c t , t w o e x a m p l e s of t h i s are k n o w n .3 I n G . — H ' s Ά π ε ψ ώ ν ε ω ς if we c h a n g e one l e t t e r d e n o t e d as u n c e r t a i n , we are l e f t w i t h άπο Ψ ώ ν ε ω ς , a n d t h e r e b y r e m o v e f r o m t h e o n o m a s t i c v o c a b u -laries t w o " g h o s t n a m e s " . Π Α Σ Ι Ν Ε Μ Ο Σ A N D Χ Ο Θ Τ Τ Η Σ SB I 5376 T h e t e x t r e p r i n t e d in t h e Sammelbuch is m u m m y l a b e l , of which S p i e g e l -b e r g p u -b l i s h e d a facsimile w i t h o u t a t r a n s c r i p t i o n . T h e r e are t w o lines of script on t h e label, each t a k e n in S B as r e p r e s e r one p r o p e r n a m e . I n d e x e d in S B I I t h e y were r e p e a t e d in Ρ r e i s i g к , Namenbuch. If we divide t h e t e x t d i f f e r e n t l y , we r e a d t h e second word μοσχοθύτης a n d w h a t is l e f t m u s t b e looked on as a p r o p e r n a m e Πασονε (tb::y;e0- is n o t h i n g t o i n d i c a t e t h a t it w a s a b b r e v i a t e d ) . S p i e g e l b e r g also i n t e r p r e t e d t h e t e x t in t h e s a m e w a y . A l t h o u g h he did n o t p u b l i s h a t r a n s c r i p t of t h e t e x t , he gives t h e w o r d μοσχο-θύτης in t h e i n d e x of occupations a n d titles.5 Σ Ε Σ Κ Α Π Ο Λ Λ Ω Ν P . F O U A D 80,19 This p a p y r u s , which is a p r i v a t e l e t t e r d a t i n g f r o m t h e 4 t h c., c o n t a i n s a n i n t e r e s t i n g allusion t o t h e priestess of T r i p h e i o n , a s a n c t u a r y of Triphis n e a r P a n o p o l i s .6 T h e t r a n s c r i p t of 1. 19 shows t h a t t h e r e a d i n g of t h e f i r s t l e t t e r of

t h i s n a m e is n o t certain. U n d o u b t e d l y here we h a v e a case of a b i p a r t i t e n a m e , t h e second p a r t of which c o n t a i n s t h e n a m e of Apollo. B u t owing t o t h e d a m a g e d s t a t e of t h e p a p y r u s a n d t h e absence of analogies, t h e editor could do no m o r e t h a n merely t r a n s c r i b e w h a t he saw on t h e p a p y r u s . A n u n p u b l i s h e d p a p y r u s P . Berol. i n v . 16365, also coming f r o m Panopolis a t t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e 4 t h c.,7 c o n t a i n s a h i t h e r t o υ n a t t e s t e d n a m e Δισκαπόλλων. T h e r e a d i n g is c e r t a i n ,

3 SB 9902 = P . Gen. inv. 108 published b y V. M a r t i n, Recherches de Papyrologie I I 1962 p p . 37—73 f r a g m . С 5 (house-owner) a n d in a p a p y r u s f r o m Cologne, cited a b o v e :

Ur-kunden aus Panopolis I No. 13, 7, 1971 ( t e n a n t of a house).

* Ägyptische und griechische Eigennamen auf Mumienetiketten, Leipzig 1901, Taf. 20 No. 59.

5 I b i d . , p . 72. I n d e x IV No. 14. O t h e r μ. are k n o w n f r o m P . Mich. IV 225. 1814; S i j ρ e -s t e i j n, Z P E 9,1972 p . 49 a n d SB 9902, L 6, M 6 ( a n d o t h e r example-s in t h e Berlin p a r t of t h e s a m e t e x t ) .

6 Cf. Y . M a r t i n, Releve topographique des immeubles d'une metropole. Recherches de

Pa-pyrologie I I 1962 p. 59, N o t e 2.

7 This p a p y r u s f o r m s p a r t of t h e s a m e d o c u m e n t as P . Gen. inv. 108 = SB 9902 published b y Y. M a r t i n (see foregoing note). T h e a u t h o r of these notes edited t h e combined t e x t s as h i s

"GHOST-NAMES" TO DISAPPEAR 225

a n d t h e connection b e t w e e n t h e disc a n d t h e m y t h s a b o u t Apollo is obvious. Moreover t h e n a m e s Δίσκος (ptolemaic only) a n d Δισκας ( f r o m R o m a n times) a r e f a i r l y c o m m o n .8 Obviously a d a m a g e d d e l t a can be t a k e n as a sigma,

espe-cially w h e n its u p p e r p a r t slopes u p t o m e e t t h e following l a t t e r w h e n w r i t t e n f r o m t o p t o b o t t o m . Since t h e r e is no d o u b t t h a t we h a v e t o do w i t h t h e s a m e n a m e , I suggest t h a t we should r e a d Δισκαπόλλωνος. On t h e o t h e r h a n d if t h e second l e t t e r was an epsilon, t h e n n o t h i n g m o r e would be involved here t h a n a simple v a r i a n t of spelling. T h e n a m e Σεσκαπόλλων should d i s a p p e a r f r o m f u t u r e lists of n a m e s (at p r e s e n t it is given only in t h e Onomasticon of F о г a -b о s с h i).

,ΚΛΙ. • .1

' -3 : 'Ч·,·. V

Ν Ρ Ο Υ Ρ Ο Σ a n d Τ Ρ Τ Ν Ι Τ Ο Σ , S B 9902

On t h e aforesaid p a p y r u s f r o m P a n o p o l i s ,9 d a m a g e d lines 9—10 of f r a g m .

A col. I c o n t a i n a description of a p r o p e r t y t h a t a t one t i m e belonged t o a m a n called Claudianus. Νυνί a t t h e end of 1. 9 m u s t m e a n t h a t t h e n e x t line gives t h e n a m e of t h e new owner. I t r e a d s (according t o t h e editor) : ? π]αλαι Σενρο-ύρου Κλαυδιανου. T h e n a m e Claudianus is an u n c o m m o n one, a l t h o u g h in this p a r t i c u l a r t e x t we come across it r e p e a t e d l y : in t h e s a m e c o l u m n (1. 33) we r e a d t h a t a p r o p e r t y belongs t o his s e c r e t a r y , while a n o t h e r p r o p e r t y of his is m e n t i o n e d in f r a g m . M 16. T h e Berlin p a r t of t h e t e x t m e n t i o n s t h e following i t e m s w i t h t h e s a m e n a m e : u n b u i l t - o n sites ( X I I 26), a demolished house

( X V 25—26), a n d , even m o r e i n t e r e s t i n g , οικία μεγάλη of Ulpius Claudianus ( X I V 28—29). A l t o g e t h e r t h e r e is m u c h evidence suggesting t h a t here we h a v e t o do w i t h one person belonging t o t h e m u n i c i p a l aristocracy.

T h e t e x t of A I 10 as r e a d b y t h e editor indicates t h a t Senrouros is t h e d a u g h t e r of Claudianus. A l t h o u g h one c a n n o t a priori exclude t h e f o r m of t h e n a m e itself, n o r can one rule o u t t h e possibility t h a t t h e d a u g h t e r of a person belonging t o high society h a d an E g y p t i a n n a m e , nevertheless it is r a t h e r u n u s u a l , a n d compels us t o a p p r o a c h t h e editor's r e a d i n g w i t h c a u t i o n . T h e l e t t e r s ...ρουρου w h i c h a t t h e end of t h e n a m e are t r a n s c r i b e d as c e r t a i n , are e q u a l l y applicable t o 9-υρουροΰ " d o o r - k e e p e r " , or " p o r t e r " , which like "secre-t a r y " also n u m b e r a m o n g "secre-t h e s e r v a n "secre-t s of a local m a n of posi"secre-tion. P l a "secre-t e V I I w o u l d seem t o f u l l y t o b e a r o u t t h i s supposition, b u t it was only l a t e r t h a t e x a m i n a t i o n of an excellent p h o t o g r a p h k i n d l y delivered t o m e p r o v e d t h a t t h e p r o p o s e d r e a d i n g is c e r t a i n .1 0 W h a t is visible in t h e line should be t r a n s c r i b e d

8 E x a m p l e s i n NB a n d i n t h e Onomasticon of F o r a b o s c h i. 9 See n o t e 7.

1 0 I a m g r e a t l y i n d e b t e d t o P r o f e s s o r D e n i s V a n B e r c h e m f o r g i v i n g m e access t o t h i s p h o t o g r a p h , as a r e s u l t of w h i c h I w a s a b l e t o r e v i s e all t h e d o u b t f u l r e a d i n g s .

226

as follows: ]λα.ε -9-υρουροΰ Κλαυδιανοΰ. The letters at the beginning of the line

obviously constitute the ending of the undeclinable Egyptian name of the

porter.

The name Τρυνΐτος appears in В II 18'. The previous lines (В II 16—17)

mention a house with an empty piece of ground belonging to Neilos and to

the sons of Eudaimon. According to V. M a r t i η, 1.18 reads αλ(λη) υιών

Φανά-σχ Τρυνίτου άο(ίκητος). Abbreviation of the last word is unusual, since

else-where it is written in full (A I 29) or is reduced to αοικ (A III 1). The same

applies to an unpublished part from Berlin. What the photograph shows is

alpha with an abbreviation mark written above it. This last might very well

be an ypsilon extending left and upwards to indicate that the word is not written

in full. But it is certainly not omicron. What the editor thought were tau and

rho of Τρυνίτου is really nil written upon tau. The papyrus reads νυν! του αύ(τοϋ).

The item says that the house belonged to the sons of Phanasch (the reading

is sure). The way chi is written does not indicate that the name was abbreviated,

although this possibility cannot be ruled out. The house is now the property

of "the same", i.e. of Neilos, proprietor of the foregoing building. In this papyrus

numerous examples occur, where neighbouring houses belonging to one and

the same person are described as "the house of X" and "another of the same".

The scribe was probably inclined to follow the same practice here. After putting

the name Phanasch he started to write του αύτοϋ. This, however, made the

text ambiguous. Νυνί was indispensible, so he changed tau to nu, leaving the

left part of the horizontal bar facing left. Together with the remaining part of

the latter (with a small loop in the upper part), this looks like τρ (but in this

text rho is always drawn far down.

So far, both names, Senrouros and Trynitos, are only given in the index

to SB, and it is to be hoped that they will not figure on any other list.

ΨΕΝΠΑΤΟΤΡΙΣ O. Edfou 456

In the transcription of the text the editor gives Ψενπατύρι,ος (gen.). The

discrepancy between this form and that noted in the index is probably due to

a printer's error. This name is not given in Ρ r e i s i g к e's Namenbuch.

For-tunately it is not given in the Onomasticon of F o r a b о s с h i, either.

With-out doubt the ostracon reads Ψενσενύριος. This is a name well confirmed by

several Roman ostraea.

[Warszawa] Zbigniew Borkowski