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KYPRIANOS M3947

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

P. Vindob. G. 13290

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

Magical (applied)
Documentary (sale document)
Contents:

Original use:

1. Ro ll. 1-8: Document concerning the sale of a slave. (Greek)

Re-use:

2. Vo ll. 1-16: Letter of Jesus to Abgar. (Coptic)
See all texts in this manuscript.

Language(s):

Egyptian (Coptic)
Greek
Script(s):

Coptic
Greek
Dialect:
Language/dialect notes:
Date: question mark icon Dates are CE unless preceded by a minus sign <->, in which case they are BCE. 601 – 700
Date notes:

Date is of magical re-use; original documentary use dates to the sixth or seventh century (Karev 2023: 115).
Archive/collection: question mark icon Larger collection to which manuscript belongs.
Archive name:
State of edition:

Recto published, edition of verso forthcoming from Ella Karev.
Image:

Form:

Sheet
Material:

Papyrus
Dimensions (cm): Height: 15 Width: 12.5 Depth:
Dimensions (notes):

Karev 2023: 117. Dimensions are for the magical re-use; height and width need to be reversed for the original documentary use, since the re-use is written at 90° to the original use.
Folding pattern:

1 vertical, 2 or more horizontal creases.
State of preservation:

Original use broken on upper, left and bottom margins. Magical re-use has top, left and right margins preserved, but bottom margin lost.
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 (→). 8 surviving lines recto, 16 surviving lines verso. Verso text written at 90° clockwise to recto.
Hand:

Two hands recto, one hand verso.

Findspot:

Hermopolis (El-Ashmunein), Egypt

(TM places ID: 816)
Place of purchase: (TM places ID: )
Writingspot:

Hermopolis (El-Ashmunein), Egypt

(TM places ID: 816)
Present Location:

Vienna, Nationalbibliothek
Collection History:

No acquisition information.
Trismegistos collection: question mark icon Page on the database Trismegistos collections for the institution which currently houses the manuscript. 357
Collection website:

Notes/Discussion:

As noted by Karev (2023: p. 115 n. 3) the original text was the documentary text on the vertical fibres of the recto; the papyrus was then cut down (leaving the recto text incomplete) before the verso text (whose left and right margins are complete) was written.

Bibiliography
Editions:

Karev, Ella. “Slave Sale from Hermopolis (P.Vindob. G 13290 r°; Sixth/Seventh Century)”, Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 60 (2023): 115-123.

Karev, Ella. “Reply of Christ To Abgar in Sahidic Coptic (P. Vindob. 13290 recto)”, forthcoming.
Translations:
General:

Trismegistos ID: 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” 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:

KD (27/9/2023); KD (16/10/2023); KD (17/10/2023)

How to cite:
Korshi Dosoo & Markéta Preininger (principal editors). "KYP M3947," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/manuscript/kyp-m3947. Accessed on 26/10/2025

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