The Elephantine Papyri in English
Three Millenia of Cross-Cultural Continuity and Change
Published on 1. October 1996
Book
Leather / fine binding
VIII, 634 pages
978-90-04-10197-5 (ISBN)
Description
This important volume contains 175 documents from the Egyptian border fortresses of Elephantine and Syene (Aswan), which yielded hundreds of papyri in hieratic, Demotic, Aramaic, Greek, Latin and Coptic, spanning a period of 2000 years. The documents include letters and legal contracts from family and other archives, and are thus an invaluable source of knowledge for scholars of varied disciplines such as epistolography, law, society, religion, language and onomastics.
The volume includes seven sections, each containing carefully translated and extensively annotated documents of one language group. Excellent cross-referencing allows the user to trace forerunners and successors. Each section is preceded by an introduction. The Aramaic, Demotic and Greek sections are concluded with a prospography. The book closes with a select topical index.
The volume includes seven sections, each containing carefully translated and extensively annotated documents of one language group. Excellent cross-referencing allows the user to trace forerunners and successors. Each section is preceded by an introduction. The Aramaic, Demotic and Greek sections are concluded with a prospography. The book closes with a select topical index.
Reviews / Votes
'Porten has once again produced a most useful tool in our understanding of the ancient Egyptian-Hebrew Diaspora, and we are in debt to his impressive work.'Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Journal of Biblical Literature, 2002.
'This is a groundbreaking work, intensely in its conception, comprehensive in scope, a priceless resource for students of law, society, and history. I wish I had written it.'
Joseph Meleze Modrzejewski, Professeur a la Sorbonne-Universite de Paris I. Directeur d'Etudes de Papyrologie et Histoire des Droits de l'Antiquite, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris.
'The immense care and attention expended in the project is evident on every page. Many readers will be grateful to have the Greek and especially the Egyptian writings available in a reliable English translation.'
L.L. Grabbe, Society for Old Testament Study, 1997.
'Bezalel Porten and those who cooperated with him on the production of this magnificent collection deserve highest appreciation for their demanding work. It will be effectively used for various purposes, and it can serve as model for similar enterprises.'
Stanislav Segert, Archiv Orientalni, 1997.