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


KYPRIANOS M758

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

PGM XXIIa
Berlin P. 9873
SB XX 14231
SB 20 14231
SB XX 14232
SB 20 14232
P. Philammon
BGU 4 1026
BGU IV 1026

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

Magical (formulary)
Documentary (receipts, payment records, letter)
Legal (court cases)
Contents:

1. p. 1 ll. 1-18: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 1)
2. p. 3 ll. 1-10: Court case (fragmentary) (Hand 1)
3. p. 3 ll. 11-30: Court case concerning murder (Hand 1)
4. p. 4 ll. 1-17: Court case concerning desecration of dead body (Hand 1)
5. p. 4 ll. 18-29, p. 5 ll.1-7: Court case concerning murder (Hand 1)
6. p. 5 ll. 8-25: Court case concerning violation of marriage law (Hand 1)
7. p. 5 ll. 26-32, p. 6 ll. 1-2: Court case (fragmentary) (Hand 1)
8. p. 6 ll. 3-29, p. 7 ll.1-30, p. 8 ll. 1-21: Court case concerning murder (Hand 1)
9. p. 9 ll.1-4: Unclear magical text (Hand 3)
10. p. 9 ll. 5-8: Unclear magical text (Hand 3)
11. p. 9 ll. 9-12: Victory charm (Hand 3)
12. p. 9 ll. 13-15: Unclear magical text (Hand 3)
13. p. 9 ll. 16-21: Silencing curse (Hand 3)
14. p. 9 ll.22-24: Love spell (Hand 3)
15. p. 12 ll. 1-3: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 5)
16. p. 13 ll. 1-9: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 5)
17. p. 15 ll.1-9: Receipt for payment of annona militaris by Aurelios Ailianos (Hand 2)
18. p. 15 ll.10-22: Receipt for payment of annona militaris by Aurelios Philippos (Hand 2)
19. p. 16 ll.1-13: Receipt for payment of annona militaris by Aurelios Eudoxios (Hand 2)
20. p. 16 ll.14-26: Receipt for payment of annona militaris by Aurelios Philippos (Hand 2)
21. p. 17 ll. 1-9: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 1)
22. p. 19 ll. 1-9: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 1)
23. p. 20 ll. 1-18: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 1)
24. p. 21 ll. 1-12: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 5)
25. p. 22 l. 1-7: Unclear magical text (healing?) (Hand 3)
26. p. 22 ll. 8-9: Against head pain using Homeric verse (healing) (Hand 3)
27. p. 22 ll. 10-12: Against fever using Homeric verse (healing) (Hand 3)
28. p. 22 ll. 13-15: Against bleeding using Homeric verse (healing) (Hand 3)
29. p. 22 ll. 16-19: For one who is released and ungrateful, using Homeric verse (curse?) (Hand 3)
30. p. 22 ll.20-22: For pain in breasts or uterus, using Homeric verse (healing) (Hand 3)
31. p. 22 ll. 23-25: Contraceptive, using Homeric verse (healing) (Hand 3)
32. p. 23 ll. 1-9: Unclear magical text using Homeric verse (healing?) (Hand 3)
33. p. 23 ll. 9-11: Protection from enemies using Homeric verse (Hand 3)
34. p. 23 ll. 12-13: Unclear healing procedure using Homeric verse (Hand 3)
35. p. 23 ll. 14-16: Unclear healing procedure using Homeric verse (Hand 3)
36. p. 23 ll. 17-26: Prayer to Helios for favour (Hand 3) (Hand 3)
37. p. 25 ll. 1-23: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 5)
38. p. 26 ll. 1-7: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 1)
39. p. 26 ll. 8-25, p. 27 ll.1-20: Copy of letter of Hegemon Glavius Domitios Asklepiades to the exactors and presidents of Hermopolis concerning failure to pay annona militaris (Hand 4)
40. p. 28 ll. 1-20: Record of payment of annona militaris (Hand 1)
See all texts in this manuscript.

Language(s):

Greek
Script(s):

Greek
Dialect:
Language/dialect notes:
Date: question mark icon Dates are CE unless preceded by a minus sign <->, in which case they are BCE. 357 – 359
Date notes:

Dating based on documentary use, for which see Poethke et al 2012: p. 139. 4th century (GEMF 17/10/2020).
Archive/collection: question mark icon Larger collection to which manuscript belongs.
Archive name:
State of edition:

Published.
Image: https://berlpap.smb.museum/02772/

Form:

Codex
Material:

Papyrus
Dimensions (cm): Height: 24 Width: 13 Depth:
Dimensions (notes):

Average size given here due to significant variation in bifolio and folio/stub sizes; see Poethke et al. 2012: p. 4, 7-8. Sizes of bifolios: A (pp. 10 + 11, 12 + 9): 24.5 (H) x 20 (W); B (pp. 13 + stub, 14 + stub): 24.6 (H) x 19.3 (W); C (pp. 15 + stub, 16 + stub): 24.6 (H) x 15.4 (W); D (pp. 8 + 17, 18 + 7): 24.6 (H) x 26 (W); E (pp. 6 + stub, 5 + stub): 24.5 x 16.3 cm ; F (pp. 4 + 19, 20 + 3): 24 (H) x 26.2 (W); G (pp. 2 + 21, 22 + 1): 24.5 x 18.6; H (p. 23 + stub, 24 + stub): 24.5 (H) x 17.3 (W); I (pp. 25 + stub, 26 + stub): 24.7 (H) x 16.8 (W); K (pp. 27 + stub, 28 + stub): 22.5 (H) x 13.2 (W).
Folding pattern:
State of preservation:

Complete, but significant damage to most pages.
Pages/Columns: question mark icon Total surviving columns in the manuscript for rolls, sheets and rotuli; total number of pages for codices.

28
Pages/Columns (notes):

28 pages. 1 quire codex; first quire 4 bifolios + 3 folios with stubs; second quire 3 folios with stubs. 22 or 23 pages written, pages 10, 11, 14, 18, 24.
Hand:

5 hands according to Poethke et al. (2012: p. 12-17); hands 1, 2 & 3 very similar; Hand 1 would be that of Aurelios Philammon. It is possible that these represent variants of a single hand, however (KD 27/10/2020).

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:

Berlin, Staatliche Museen
Collection History:

Purchased for the museum by Otto Rubensohn 1902 (Poethke et al. 2012: p. 3).
Trismegistos collection: question mark icon Page on the database Trismegistos collections for the institution which currently houses the manuscript. 40
Collection website: https://berlpap.smb.museum/02772/

Notes/Discussion:

Most of the codex consists of documentary texts related to the annona militaris in Hermopolis Magna related to the work of its owner, Aurelios Philammon, as an epimelētes.

Bibiliography
Editions:

Brashear, William M. “Zwei Zauberformulare”, Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete 38 (1992): 19-26.

Kanavou, Nikoletta and Amphilochios Papathomas. “An Alexandrian Murder Case Revisited (P.Philammon = BGU IV 1024, pp. 6.3-8.21).” Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 200 (2016).

Poethke, Günter. “Der Papyrus-Codex BGU 1024-1027 aus Hermupolis Magna.” In: Proceedings of the Sixteenth International Congress of Papyrology. New York, 24-31 July 1980, p. 457-462.

★ Poethke, Günter, Sebastian Prignitz, and Veit Vaelske. Das Aktenbuch des Aurelios Philammon: Prozessberichte, Annona militaris und Magie in BGU IV, 1024-1027. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2012.

Preisendanz, Karl. Papyri Graecae magicae: Die Griechischen Zauberpapyri. Vol. 2. Stuttgart: Teubner, 1974, p. 147-148, no. 22a.

Rupprecht, Hans-Albert and Joachim Hengstl. Sammelbuch griechischer Urkunden aus Ägypten. Vol. 20. Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz, 1997, no. 14231 + 14232.

Schubart, Wilhelm. Ägyptische Urkunden aus den Königlichen Museen zu Berlin. Griechische Urkunden. Vol. 4. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1912, no. 1026.
Translations:

Betz, Hans D. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation. Including the Demotic Spells. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992, p. 260, no. 22a.

Burnet, Régis. L’Égypte ancienne à travers les papyrus. Pygmalion: Paris, 2003, p. 182-183, no. 115.

Collins, Derek. Magic in the Ancient Greek World. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2008, p. 109-114.
General:

Brashear, William M. “The Greek Magical Papyri: An Introduction and Survey; Annotated Bibliography (1928-1994).” In: Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt, edited by Hildegard Temporini and Wolfgang Haase, II.18.5. Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1995, 3547.

De Haro Sanchez, Magali. “Le vocabulaire de la pathologie et de la thérapeutique dans les papyrus iatromagiques grecs Fièvres, traumatismes et ‘épilepsie'”. The Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 47 (2010): 131-153.

Faraone, Christopher A. “Taking the “Nestor’s Cup Inscription” Seriously: Erotic Magic and Conditional Curses in the Earliest Inscribed Hexameters.” Classical Antiquity 15 (1996).

Kruse, Thomas. “Urkundenreferat 2012 (1. Teil).” Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete 62 (2016): 432–435.

Preisendanz, Karl. “III. Referate. Papyrus Urkunden.” Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete 8 (1927): 126.

West, Martin L. Studies in the Text and Transmission of the Iliad. München: Saur, 2001, w2.

van Minnen, Peter. “Das Aktenbuch des Aurelios Philammon. Prozessberichte, Annona militaris und Magie in BGU IV 1024-1027. Archiv für Papyrusforschung, Beiheft 34 by Günter Poethke, Sebastian Prignitz, Veit Vaelske.” The Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 50 (2013).

Trismegistos ID:

61010
33053
33054
61010
64373
219275
219276
219277
219278
219279
219280
219281
219282
219283

 PAThs:
PGM: question mark icon Papyri Gracae Magicae

22a

 SM: question mark icon Supplementum Magicum GEMF: question mark icon Greek and Egyptian Magical Formularies (forthcoming) 65 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

06001.000
00573.000
Van H: question mark icon van Haelst, Catalogue des papyrus littéraires

1073

 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 (9/3/2019); EL (19/8/2020); ST (17/10/2020); ST (18/10/2020); MPS (23/10/2020); KD (27/10/2020); MPS (22/3/2022)

How to cite:
Korshi Dosoo & Markéta Preininger (principal editors). "KYP M758," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/manuscript/kyp-m758. Accessed on 15/03/2026

Found a mistake? Let us know!