KYP T-2805

KYPRIANOS DATABASE OF ANCIENT RITUAL TEXTS

KYPRIANOS T2805

Manuscript:	M15
Sigla:	P. Mich. Inv. 599 + 594 + 603 + 596 + 598 + 597 + 595
Text no. Position of the text within the manuscript.	45
Coptic Scriptorium:
Date:	501 – 700

Text position:	p. 15 (P. Mich. Inv. 595 ro) ll. 4–8
Type of text:	Healing of vertigo (magical, formulary)

Original title:	ⲛⲧⲃⲉ̅ ⲟⲩⲁ̅ ⲉϥⲥⲕⲟⲧ̅ⲉⲩⲉ̅ ⲛⲛ̅ⲁ̅ⲩ ⲛ̅ⲓⲙ̅
Original title (translated):	For one who has vertigo all the time
Conventional title:	For treating vertigo

Language:	Egyptian (Coptic)
Dialect:	Sahidic (non-standard)
Script:	Coptic
Image:	http://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/apis/x-2616/599r.tif & http://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/apis/x-2616/599v.tif

Text:

Translation:

p. 15 (P. Mich. Inv. 595 ro)

↓
4. [end of previous text] ⲛⲧⲃⲉ̅ ⲟⲩⲁ̅ ⲉϥⲥⲕⲟⲧ̅ⲉⲩⲉ̅ ⲛⲛ̅ⲁ̅ⲩ ⲛ̅ⲓⲙ̅
5. ϫ̅ⲓ̈ ⲛ̅ⲁⲕ ⲛ̅ⲛ̅ⲟⲩϭⲱ̅ⲃ̅ⲉ̅ ⲙⲙⲟⲗⲟⲭⲏ ⲛ̅ⲛⲁ̅ⲧ̅ⲕ̅ⲟⲣ̅ⲧ̅ⲉ̅ ϥⲛⲁⲗⲟ
6. (kharaktēres: . . . ΩƎƎƎƎƎƎƎƎƎƎƎ ⟦ϩ . ⟧ ϩ ΥΙΚΟΙΑ ΠΑΡΙΩ̅Α̣Ω̅) ⲙ̅ⲁ̅ⲣⲉ-
7. ⲙⲁ̅ⲣ̅ⲉⲡⲟⲛⲏⲣⲓⲁ ⲛ̅ⲓ̅ⲙ̅ ⲉ̣ⲓ̣ ⲉ̣ⲃⲟⲗ (kharaktēres: ƎƎƎ) ϩⲛ ⲧⲁⲡⲏ ⲙ ⲡⲥⲱⲙⲁ̣
8. ⲇͅⲇͅ ) (kharaktēres: ΚϹ̅Κ̅ΕΗΓΕΚΟΕΚΙΡΡΒΡΗΤΥΑ̣ΘΗ̣Ϲ℧ΥΡΕ̅Ρ̅ϹΗ̅Ϲ̅Ρ̅Ο)

[drawings]

[p. 15 l. 4] For one who has vertigo all the time. [5] Take for yourself an uncut mallow leaf. He will recover.
[6] (kharaktēres: . . . ΩƎƎƎƎƎƎƎƎƎƎƎϩΥΙΚΟΙΑ ΠΑΡΙΩ̅Α̣Ω̅)
May [7] {may} all evil come out (kharaktēres: ƎƎƎ) from the head and the body of [8] NN!
(kharaktēres: ΚϹ̅Κ̅ΕΗΓΕΚΟΕΚΙΡΡΒΡΗΤΥΑ̣ΘΗ̣Ϲ℧ΥΡΕ̅Ρ̅ϹΗ̅Ϲ̅Ρ̅Ο)

Tableau:
Tracing by:

Apparatus:

4. ⲥⲕⲟⲧ̅ⲉⲩⲉ̅ i.e. Greek σκοτεύειν
5. ⲙⲙⲟⲗⲟⲭⲏ i.e. Greek μαλάχη | ϥⲛⲁⲗⲟ ⲛ corrected from ⲁ by overwriting
6-7. ⲙ̅ⲁ̅ⲣⲉⲙⲁ̅ⲣ̅ⲉⲡⲟⲛⲏⲣⲓⲁ l. ⲙⲁⲣⲉ-ⲡⲟⲛⲏⲣⲓⲁ i.e. Greek πονηρία
7. ⲙ corrected from ⲡ by overwriting i.e. Sahidic ⲙⲛ̅ | ⲥⲱⲙⲁ̣ i.e. Greek σῶμα
8. ΗΓΕΚΟΕΚΙΡΡ first Κ corrected from Ο̣ by overwriting

Notes:

Parallel text: P. Mich. inv. 602 ll. 43-47 (KYP M18, T2797)

The ritual process here is not entirely clear. There are no instructions to recite the formula, and the kharaktēres are unlikely to have been pronounced. It seems likely that everything after ϥⲛⲁⲗⲟ is to be copied onto the mallow leaf, which is then worn as an amulet, but this is not explicitly stated.
4. Skoteue Speransky (2022: p. 148 and 189) identifies it as a Coptic rendering of the verb σκοτοῦν, which can mean “darken, blind” and “make dizzy”, or in the passive, “be in darkness”, “suffer from vertigo”, “be stupefied” (LSJ s.v. σκοτόω). It is related to several other words for dizziness and vertigo attested in the works of Greek medical authors, such as σκότομα (Galen, On Hygiene V 324K) σκοτοδινία/σκοτόδινος (Hippocrates, Aphorisms IV 17; Coan Prenotions 157; Epidemics II 7.84), and σκοτοδινῶ (Hippocrates, Aphorisms VII 87; Prorrhetic II 30). In another manuscript from the same archive, P.Mich.inv. 593 (KYP M9, KYP T871) p. 6 l. 17, and earlier in this manuscript (P. Mich. inv. 594 (KYP M15; KYP T913) ro l. 10), it appears as ⲉϥⲥⲕⲟⲧⲉⲩ̣[ⲉ]/ⲉϥⲥⲕⲟⲧⲉⲩⲉ. As the text mentions the head and body, but not the eyes, we interpret ⲥⲕⲟⲧⲉⲩ̣ⲉ there as “be dizzy, have vertigo”. In Coptic, σκοτοῦν also appears in that sense as ⲥⲕⲟⲑⲟⲩ and ⲥⲕⲟⲧⲉⲩⲉ in Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem, On the Life and Passion of Christ (cc0113) § 109-110 (Van den Broek 2013: p. 162-65), which describes Jesus as “becoming dizzy” (ϣⲁⲛⲧⲉϥⲥⲕⲟⲑⲟⲩ/ⲥⲕⲟⲧⲉⲩⲉ) and falling when struck by a crowd.
7. ⲛ̅ⲓ̅ⲙ̅ ⲉ̣ⲓ̣ ⲉ̣ⲃⲟⲗ From here, the text of l. 7 is written further down on the sheet to avoid damage in the papyrus, suggesting it was already there when the text was copied.
8. ⲇͅⲇͅ ) Here a curved line similar to a right bracket is used to separate δεῖνα δεῖνα from the following text.

Bibliography:

Speransky, Nina. Transitivity and Aspect in Sahidic Coptic: Studies in the Morphosyntax of Native and Greek-Origin Verbs. Hamburg: Widmaier Verlag, 2022.

Van den Broek, Roelof. Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem, On the Life and Passion of Christ. A Coptic Apocryphon. Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2013.

Editor:

KD, MPS, RBS (23/7/2026)

How to cite:

[Editor names]. "KYP T2805: For treating vertigo," 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/text/kyp-t-2805. Accessed on 09/10/2026
For the "editor names", see the abbreviated names in the field "Editor", and to resolve the abbreviations, see the help page.

How to cite:

Found a mistake? Let us know!