#elephantine papyri

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Uncovering Zoroastrian Secrets Hidden in Ancient Jewish Documents

Two and a half thousand years ago an island in the middle of the Nile River became home to an unexpected community. Far from the grand temples of Jerusalem and deep in the heart of southern Egypt a group of Jewish soldiers and their families built a life. They traded, wrote letters, negotiated contracts and prayed. For over a century their daily existence was recorded on fragile sheets of…

Uncovering Zoroastrian Secrets Hidden in Ancient Jewish Documents

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The only surviving handwriting of an emperor: Theodosius II and a petition from Aswan

The only surviving handwriting of an emperor: Theodosius II and a petition from Aswan

How many of us know that there is a papyrus with the handwriting of a Roman emperor on it?  I certainly did not, until I learned of it from a tweet by Richard Flower.  But so it is. The papyrus comes from Elephantine in Egypt, the island of Philae, opposite the modern town of Aswan, which is ancient Syene.  Papyri from the island were sold to dealers throughout the 19th century; some excavation…

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