Object of the Month

P. 10582 Anyone who spends time in language classes and thinks that everything used to be better in the past, because they did not have to speak so many languages, is wrong. In the past it was also very advantageous… Read More→

BKT II, S. 52–53 (P. 9809 R) What does a good speech have to do with lust and love? This philosophical treatise seems to deal with some principles of how to make good speeches. For this purpose, quotations from two… Read More→

ChLA X 424 (P. 11649) Most of the texts on papyrus known to us were written in Greek. Among the rarer languages in which these texts were written is Latin. A rare and beautiful example is this completely preserved Latin… Read More→

BKT V.2, S. 64–72 (P. 9908 R) Going to Troy without a GPS? In ancient times a son of Heracles was used for this purpose – Telephus. He led the Greeks to Troy, where it took them ten long years… Read More→

BGU VI 1297 (P. 13999) This private letter from a certain Zenon is part of the largest archive from Ptolemaic Egypt. But who is behind the many names, what is this letter about and where are the places mentioned in… Read More→

BKT V.2, S. 84–87 (P. 5514) A rarely preserved tragedy by Euripides. Only fragments of this tragedy have survived. In total there are fewer than 10 fragments of this tragedy. On the parchment presented here is the largest coherent piece… Read More→

BGU II 387 (P. 7083) A crocodile with a falcon’s head – in this mixed form we encounter a manifestation of the Egyptian crocodile god Sobek, as he was worshipped under the name of Soknopaios as an oracle and healing… Read More→

P.Kramer 17 R (P. 13102 R) Horoscopes. Up to our modern times, they are consulted by people in order to get an interpretation of their own fate or to get predictions about coming events. The timelessness of such questions for… Read More→

SB XII 10907 (P. 13308) Paying additional duties for the export and import of goods has never been popular and still is not today. However, customs duties are, in addition to taxes, an important source of revenue for the state…. Read More→

UPZ II 227 (P. 1382) At first glance, receipts appear monotonous and rather insignificant. But they provide us with an important insight into everyday life in the past and often lead to complex and socio-cultural questions. The text to be… Read More→