DCLP Transcription [xml]
Introduction
Medical prescriptions (P.Coll.Youtie 1.4v). Medium-brown papyrus fragment (5.4 x 10.5 cm) containing the lower part of one column belonging to a collection of medical recipes, of which only parts of four survived. It is noteworthy that the extant amounts of the ingredients are given in terms of proportions (διπλοῦν "double" or ἴσον "equal") and never in actual measures. The text is written on the verso of a roll, across the fibers, in a fairly bilinear, regular handwriting somehow resembling that of P.Marm. (dated AD 190-215); on the recto, 11 lines of text (a list of income) in a large documentary hand dating to the 3rd cent.
(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 edition (T.T. Renner, P.Coll.Youtie I 4v).)
1[ -ca.?- τερ]μινθίνης̣ [ -ca.?- ]
[ -ca.?- δι]πλοῦν, εἴριν̣ο̣ν̣(*) μύ̣ρ̣[ον -ca.?- ](*)
vac. 1 line
[ -ca.?- ] τρὺξἸταλικοῦ οἴνου π[ -ca.?- ](*)
[ -ca.?- ν]άρδος Κελτική, σάμψουχος, σι ̣.[ -ca.?- ](*) [ -ca.?- ]
5[ -ca.?- ] τὸ διπλοῦν, τερμινθίνης τὸ ἴ(*)σο̣[ν -ca.?- ]
[ -ca.?- ] θαλάσιον(*), μαλαβάθρινον μύρον κ̣(*)[ -ca.?- ]
vac. 1 line
[ -ca.?- ] ̣ ̣η(*), ἄγριον πήγανον, θεῖον ἄπυ[ρον -ca.?- ]
[ -ca.?- ]ς φλοῦς(*) κυπαρίσσου βασιλικῆ̣[ς(?) -ca.?- ]
[ -ca.?- ]υν(*), τερμινθίνης ἴ(*)σον, πίσσης τ[ -ca.?- ](*)
10[ -ca.?- ] ̣ειον(*) ἀποσείρωμα κατάπλ(ασσε(?))
vac. 1 line
[ -ca.?- ] ̣(*) πρὸς τὴν προκειμένην διάθε[σιν -ca.?- ]
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Apparatus
^ 2. l. ἴρινον
^ 2. or μυ̣ρ̣[οβάλανος -ca.?- ]
^ 3. or π[αλαιοῦ(?) -ca.?- ]
^ 4. or σίε̣[λον], or σίκ̣[υος], or σίο̣[ν], or σίσ̣[αρον], or σισ̣[ύμβριον], or σια̣[ -ca.?- ], or σιθ̣[ -ca.?- ], or σιω̣[ -ca.?- ]
^ 5. ϊσο̣[ν] papyrus
^ 6. l. θαλάσσιον
^ 6. or λ̣ι̣
^ 7. or ι̣κ̣η, or ι̣π̣η, or ι̣ν̣η
^ 8. or φλοῦς (l. φλοιός)
^ 9. or [ -ca.?- διπλο]ῦν
^ 9. ϊσον, papyrus
^ 9. or τ[ὸ διπλοῦν -ca.?- ]
^ 10. or ν̣ειον, or π̣ειον, or λ̣ειον, or η̣ειον, or ι̣ειον
^ 11. or ν̣, or η̣
Notes
- 1.
τερμινθίνης, sc. ῥητίνης, terebint resin.
- 2.
ἴρινον μύρον would be the aromatic oil of iris (often referred to as just ἴρινον), but the second word can belong to the next ingredient.
- 3-6.
The second recipe contains at least three aromatic substances, and most of the extant ingredients are attested elsewhere in directions for preparing antidotes against poison (cf. Paul.Aeg. 7,20; Cels. 5.23,1-2; Gal. Antid. passim = XIV K).
- 4.
On νάρδος Κελτική "Celtic, i.e. Gallic nard" (Valeriana celtica) see Dsc. MM 1,8 and Orib. 12,2 (CMG 6.1,2 Raeder). Some of its uses are recorded by Plin. NH 21,135. σάμψουχος "marjoram" (Maiorana hortensis) may be a word of Egyptian origin. For some of its medical uses cf. Plin. NH 21,163. In the papyri, the only other mention of this plant is the adjective in P.Lond. 3.755,B7.
- 6.
If θαλάσσιον is in nominative, then it was likely preceded by ὕδωρ, or also, e.g., βρύον (cf. Gal. 14,563 K) or σκορπίδιον (cf. Gal. 14,573 K).
- 7.
θεῖον ἄπυρον "crude or native sulfur" - on the numerous properties of sulfur cf. Dsc. MM 5,107.
- 8.
φλοῦς "reed" would be odd in a medical context; the word can be φλοιός "bark" or even φλέως (i.e. ἀπόκυνον, "dogs'-bane", Marsdenia erecta) misspelled.
- 10.
ἀποσείρωμα is a hapax (from ἀποσειρόω: cf. Philum. Ven. 23,3) meaning something strained or filtered off. κατάπλασσε - forms of καταπάσσω or καταπίνω cannot be ruled out.
- 11.
διάθεσιν is the standard technical word denoting condition or state of health.