Calligraphic and Linguistic Characteristics of Selected Topics from Greek Legal Documents in Krokodilopolis (Medinet- El Fayoum) under Ptolemy III and IV

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Demonstrator, Department of Greek and Roman Archaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, Fayoum University.

2 Professor, Department of Greek and Latin Studies, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University.

3 Professor, Greco-Roman Antiquities Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University.

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the calligraphic and linguistic characteristics of Greek papyrus documents from Krokodilopolis (Medinet El Fayoum) by investigating selected Greek legal documents of the Ptolemaic period, which have not properly been discussed.
Usually, studying legal documents does not provide sufficient space for knowledge of whether the style of writing can differ from one scribe to another, though in most cases scribes often have a stereotyped formula, and each scribe works on a given model, and this does not provide a space for creativity. Each legal document had a specific function in ancient times. Royal petitions, for example, served a judicial function as a model of civil service justice. The wills play an important role in preserving property and inheritance. Regarding the Ptolemaic witness depositions, they undoubtedly play a significant role as legal records; they provide us with insight into the legal procedure followed in the Court of Ten at Krokodilopolis, as well as how witnesses were summoned and interrogated. Furthermore, they are a very valuable source for studying the linguistic characteristics and how notaries handled the Greek language during this period.

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