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 god in many places in the Fayum oasis. From his main cult place Soknopaiou Nesos at the northern edge of the Fayum comes the here presented, fragmentarily preserved inventory list on papyrus about the possession of this temple – the “treasures of Soknopaios”.
The papyrus was probably found in the ruins of the ancient village of Soknopaiou Nesos, now called Dimê, located on the northern shore of Lake Qarun. Later it belonged to the private collection of the Egyptologist Heinrich Brugsch and came to the Berlin Papyrus Collection in 1891. In Soknopaiou Nesos, the „Island of Soknopaios“, there was the most important temple dedicated to Soknopaios. Not only impressive remains of the temple complex have been preserved, but also countless texts on papyrus, which provide insights into the work of this sanctuary and its priests.
This work of the priests also included providing the Roman authorities with various lists of temple personnel, inventories of temple property, and reports of their income and expenses of the temple at the end of each year. The text presented here is such an inventory.
Remains of two columns have been preserved from the original text. The first column contains the line endingss of the beginning of this inventory. Here the priests who submit this inventory are mentioned by name. In addition, this introduction contains the date on which this inventory was created and submitted. Unfortunately, only two words of this dating formula have survived. However, since these show that two emperors ruled at the time this text was written, the text can be dated to 161–169 or 177–180 AD.
The introduction is followed by the actual list, which contains in detail the objects that were in the sanctuary. These were not the entire property, but only the cult objects. These included several wooden shrines that were gilded or silver-plated or fitted with bronze and some of them were even sealed. In addition, there are statues, statuettes and busts of gods and animals (e.g. lions and ibises) made of bronze or silver, as well as ritual objects such as candlesticks and incense burners, and tableware required for the cult – including several so-called Bes vessels. The material and sometimes also the weight is given for all listed items.
Why did the priests have to submit such inventories to the Roman authorities? Even in Ptolemaic times, the shrines and their priests had great political and economic influence, great wealth and were largely free from constraints by the Roman government. With the beginning of Roman rule they were politically and economically disempowered and placed under strict administrative control. Inventory lists such as the text presented here were used to check the completeness of the cult objects.
Such inventories were sent with accompanying letters. An example, which belongs to a later inventory from 220 AD, is in the Berlin Papyrus Collection. At the end of the document the acknowledgement of receipt from the Royal Scribe to whom the letter and the inventory list are addressed is clearly visible.
