Object of the Month

BKT IX 16 (P. 21260 V) In European stories, the wolf is often portrayed as a predatory villain. For example, in “Little Red Riding Hood”, a fable by the Brothers Grimm, he deceives an innocent young girl in order to… Read More→

BGU III 726 (P. 7788) Buying at the right time has always been a good deal. This is true today and was also the case 1500 years ago. This also seems to be the case with a business deal that… Read More→

P. 14283 Ordinary people have their wills written by a lawyer. Ancient poets, however, wrote theirs themselves, namely in verses. Is this the case here and is this a testament by the famous epigrammatic poet Posidippus of Pella, who is… Read More→

SB XVIII 13250 = BKT IX 173 (P. 21269 R) Two young people, the future still ahead of them – but what will it bring? Is it worth going down this path together permanently? Because you can never be so… Read More→

P. 11517 V In this fragment of a novel or an aretalogy on a papyrus from the 2nd century CE, there is a rhetorical duel between Daulis, who has just seized Delphi with his army and criticizes the oracle practice,… Read More→

BGU I 229 (P. 7318) We have all been there: you are faced with a difficult decision or an urgent question and simply do not know what to do. It would be extremely practical if you could ask someone who… Read More→

BGU VII 1568 (P. 11473 R) If you lend something, you want to get it back. It does not matter whether the loan was ordered or voluntary. The text on this papyrus provides a brief insight into one such case:… Read More→

BGU III 1568 (P. 8959) Before making a purchase, people like to check what they are buying. This is how people already thought 2000 years ago, as this Greek contract for two donkeys shows. Interestingly, this fact only becomes apparent… Read More→

BGU III 982 (P. 9791) Donkeys fulfilled many tasks 2000 years ago that are now performed by cars, motorbikes, delivery vans, etc. And today, just like back then, they were used for trade. It is therefore not surprising that documents… Read More→

BGU VIII 1856 + 1857 (P. 13788+13789) A man is dismembered. A donkey and money stolen. More details are not known. Who committed this terrible crime? Why has the man been killed? Was it for the money? Or envy of… Read More→