DCLP

Introduction

Illustrated herbal (P.Tebt. 2.679 + P.Tebt.Tait 39-41 + P.Tebt.Tait 39 add. + PSI inv. 4160). 21 fragments of different size belonging to an illustrated herbal on papyrus roll from the temple area at Tebtunis. The six main fragments, described as P.Tebt. 2.679, have been published by John de Monins Johnson in 1912, then followed by the twelve pieces of P.Tebt.Tait 39 (ten fragments, of which only three bearing text fragments), 40, 41 (P.Tebt.Tait 42, first considered as part of the same roll, has been recently recognized as a different text: cf. W.J. Tait, Demotic Literature and Egyptian Society, in Life in a Multi-Cultural Society, ed. J.H. Johnson, Chicago 1992, pp. 303-10, esp. p. 309 n. 32; Fausti 1997, p. 88 n. 26). After the full re-edition by Ann E. Hanson (ed.alt.), three further small scraps (P.Tebt.Tait 39 add. and PSI inv. 4160, a and b) have been recently published by Kim Ryholt (ZPE 187, 2013, pp. 233-8). The content is very fragmentary; the general layout of the entries is arranged in a title with the name of the plant, a coloured picture illustrating it, and a description of its medicinal use, with strong resemblances with Dioscorides' Materia medica. It is possible that the plants have been recorded alphabetically, since the initials of the extant names (χονδρίλη, ψευδοδίκταμον) come from the end of the alphabet. The palaeographical datation to the 2nd cent. AD makes the Tebtunis text the earliest known illustrated herbal, and makes the possible relationship (source or derivation?) with Dioscorides' treatise of the utmost interest.

(This papyrus has been digitally edited by Nicola Reggiani as part of the Project "DIGMEDTEXT - Online Humanities Scholarship: A Digital Medical Library based on Ancient Texts" (ERC-AdG-2013, Grant Agreement no. 339828) funded by the European Research Council at the University of Parma (Principal Investigator: Prof. Isabella Andorlini). The digital edition is mostly based on the previous editions (descr. B.P. Grenfell - A.S. Hunt - E.J. Goodspeed, P.Tebt. II 679; ed.pr. = J. de M. Johnson, "Archiv für die Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften"4, 1912, pp. 403-8 + W.J. Tait, P.Tebt.Tait 39-41; ed.alt. = A.E. Hanson, Pap.Congr. XXII, 1998, pp. 585-601; corr. D. Fausti, "Testi medici su papiro", 2004, pp. 135-6; add. K. Ryholt, ZPE 187, 2013, pp. 233-8).)

PTebt679
fragment a
fragment b
fragment c
fragment d
fragment e
fragment f
PTebtTait39
fragment 1
fragment 2
fragment 3
fragment 4-10
PTebtTait39 add
PTebtTait40
PTebtTait41
PSIinv4160 a-b

Apparatus

Notes

• 1.

  For Chondrile see Dsc. MM 2.133; more briefly Plin. NH 21.52,89; 65,105; Thphr. HP 7.7,1; 11,4. A possible supplement might be χόνδρυλλα ἢ χον]δρίνη.

• 2.

  πέταλον is used throughout (cf. also d,3 and P.Tebt.Tait 40,3) as a synonym of φύλλον "leaf" (cf. c,3), contrasting with the use of scientific prose, which shows a strong preference for the latter, employing the former to refer to "petals" or "flakes" (cf. e.g. Dsc. MM 1.43, 1.48, 5.71, 5.81). Compare, for example, τὸ πέταλον καὶ [---] ὁ καυλός (here a,2-3) with ὁ καυλὸς καὶ τὰ φύλλα of Dsc. 2.133 = 204,14-205,15 Wellmann (and especially the reading τὰ φύλλα καὶ ὁ καυλός in ms. E of Dioscorides' tradition, on which cf. A.E. Hanson - R. Flemming, Dioscorides, De materia medica II 76.2 and 76.7-18, in Estratto provvisiorio dal Corpus dei Papiri Greci di Medicina, ed. I. Andorlini, Firenze 1998, pp. 12-17).

• 1.

  On Arktion see Dsc. MM 4.105 and Plin. NH 27.16,34; more briefly Plin. ibid. 26.30,129 and 27.3,11. The extant traces seem to indicate that a synonym for ἄρκτιον preceded.

• 5.

  ἑψ-: a form of ἕψειν is most likely, but it is impossible to determine the precise form.

• 1.

  For Pseudodiktamon see Dsc. MM 3.32 and Plin. NH 25.53,93; more briefly Plin. ibid. 26.31,49; 87,142; 90,153; 90.161.

• 1.

  For λείρινον as a name for a plant of the lily family, see Dsc. MM 1.52, 3.102, 4.158, and Aet. 1.116.

• 1.

  On Heliotropion see Dsc. MM 4.190-1 (two kinds); Orib. Coll.Med. 11,η,3-4; Plin. NH 22.29,57-60. The restorations proposed to this fragment, and partly suggested by Isabella Andorlini, are mostly based on Dioscorides' passage.

• 8.

  ἐν τοῖς κήποις: when indicating the cultivated variety of a plant, Dioscorides prefers the adjectives κηπευτός/κηπαῖος; the phrase used in the papyrus never occurs in MM.