KYPRIANOS DATABASE OF ANCIENT RITUAL TEXTS search icon
MANUSCRIPTS
TEXTS
ARCHIVES
HELP


KYPRIANOS M174

Sigla: question mark icon Modern names for the manuscript, including inventory and publication numbers.

Berlin P. 8109
BKU 1 25
BKU I 25
P. Berol. 8109
C. Pharm. Copt. 39

Category: question mark icon Classification of the contents, e.g. magical (formulary or applied), alchemical, liturgical, documentary or medical.

Magical (formulary)
Medical
Contents:

1. Ro ll. 1-5: Fragmentary prescription (healing).
2. Ro ll. 6-8: Prescription for someone who cannot sleep (healing).
3. Ro ll. 9-10: Prescription for swelling (healing).
4. Ro ll. 11-12: Prescription for a man with throbbing pain (healing).
5. Ro ll. 13-15: Prescription for a woman whose blood is under her (healing).
6. Ro ll. 16-25: Prescription for an inflamed hip (healing).
7. Vo ll. 1-3: Fragmentary prescription (healing).
8. Vo l. 4-7: Fragmentary prescription (healing).
9. Vo ll. 8-16: Prescription for eye condition (healing).
10. Vo ll. 17-19: Prescription for aching breasts (healing).
11. Vo ll. 20-22: Fragmentary prescription (healing).
12. Vo ll. 23-26:
See all texts in this manuscript.

Language(s):

Egyptian (Coptic)
Script(s):

Coptic
Dialect:

Sahidic
Language/dialect notes:
Date: question mark icon Dates are CE unless preceded by a minus sign <->, in which case they are BCE. 800 – 1000
Date notes:

Grons 2025: p. 518; 7th-8th century according to TM (24/9/2018) and Beltz (1984: p. 88).
Archive/collection: question mark icon Larger collection to which manuscript belongs.
Archive name:
State of edition:

Published.
Image:

Form:

Codex
Material:

Parchment
Dimensions (cm): Height: 18 Width: 11 Depth:
Dimensions (notes):

Maximum height and width, range 16.2-18.2 x 6.7-10.7 (EL from autopsy 20/11/2019); 18.5 x 11 (Beltz 1984: p. 88); 18 x 11 cm (Erman 1904: p. 24)
Folding pattern:

No discernible creases (EL 20/11/2019), pace “Folded in antiquity” (TM 18/10/2018)
State of preservation:

Fragmentary, sheet damaged at each edge, with some holes (EL from autopsy 20/11/2019)
Pages/Columns: question mark icon Total surviving columns in the manuscript for rolls, sheets and rotuli; total number of pages for codices.

2
Pages/Columns (notes):

1 column each, recto and verso. 25 lines recto, 26 lines verso.
Hand:

Findspot:

Egypt

(TM places ID: 49)
Place of purchase: (TM places ID: )
Writingspot:

Egypt

(TM places ID: 49)
Present Location:

Berlin, Staatliche Museen
Collection History:

Gifted to the Papyrus-Sammlung from the Berliner Verleger by Rudolf Mosse in 1894 (Beltz 1984: p. 88)
Trismegistos collection: question mark icon Page on the database Trismegistos collections for the institution which currently houses the manuscript. 40
Collection website: http://berlpap.smb.museum/

Notes/Discussion:

According to Beltz (1984: p. 88), the text is similar to the London Papyrus (see W. Wreszinski, Die Medizin der Alten Ägypter, Bd. II, Leipzig 1912 and H. Grapow, HdO 1/2, Leiden 1952, 181-187).

Bibiliography
Editions:

★ Grons, Anne. Medizinische Rezepttexte in koptischer Sprache (C.Pharm.Copt.). Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete – Beiheft 56. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2025, p. 275–278, no. 39, plates 30a-b.

Beltz, Walter. “Die koptischen Zauberpergamente der Papyrus-Sammlung der Staatlichen Museeun zu Berlin.” Archiv für Papyrusforschung no. 30 (1984): p. 88–91 (transcription and translation)

Erman, Adolf. Aegyptische Urkunden aus dem Koeniglichen Museen zu Berlin: Koptische Urkunden. Vol. 1. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1904, p. 24, no. 25 (transcription)
Translations:
General:

Kropp, Angelicus. Ausgewählte koptische Zaubertexte. Einleitung in Koptische Zaubertexte. Vol. 3, Bruxelles: Édition de la Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth, 1930, §307, p. 175–176.

Trismegistos ID:

107296

 PAThs:
PGM: question mark icon Papyri Gracae Magicae SM: question mark icon Supplementum Magicum GEMF: question mark icon Greek and Egyptian Magical Formularies (forthcoming) ACM: question mark icon Ancient Christian Magic
Bélanger Sarrazin: question mark icon Bélanger-Sarrazin. “Catalogue des textes magiques coptes”

76

 AKZ: question mark icon Ausgewählte koptische Zaubertexte CBd: question mark icon Campbell-Bonner Magical Gems Database Mert.-Pack: question mark icon Mertens-Pack online database
Van H: question mark icon van Haelst, Catalogue des papyrus littéraires Bruyn-Dijkstra: question mark icon de Bruyn and Dijkstra, “Greek Amulets and Formularies (Checklist)" TheDefix: question mark icon Thesaurus Defixionum To Zodion:
Edit History:

MPS (24/9/2018); EL (18/10/2018; 20/11/2019); KD (11/11/2019); KD (30/6/2020); EL (21/8/2020); MPS (22/3/2021); MPS (16/9/2025); RBS (24/7/2026)

How to cite:
[Editor names]. "KYP M174," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, Korshi Dosoo, Markéta Preininger, & Roxanne Bélanger Sarrazin (principal editors), www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/manuscript/kyp-m174. Accessed on 24/08/2026
For the "editor names", see the abbreviated names in the field "Edit History", and to resolve the abbreviations, see the help page.

Found a mistake? Let us know!