George R Hughes - Böcker

The papyri published here, chiefly in the collection of the Oriental Institute Museum, comprise part of a large family archive from the town of Hawara in the Egyptian Fayum. Written in Demotic and Greek, the documents (annuity contracts, donations, sales, mortgage agreements, loan repayments) are an excellent source of information about the Egypt of the fourth to third century b.c. Professor George R. Hughes had worked on the ten Oriental Institute Hawara papyri for a number of years, but sadly, it was not possible for him to finish the manuscript before his death in December 1992; he did, however, prepare preliminary transliterations and translations of the papyri, including the Rendell Papyrus published in the Appendix. Discussions, commentaries, and glossaries are included. Richard Jasnow completed the manuscript with the assistance of James Keenan, who prepared the Greek texts. The book is of interest to Egyptologists, Hellenists, and all of those concerned with the economic and social history of the Late period in Egypt.

This catalogue is intended to be only a checklist of the Brooklyn Museum's collection of 212 Demotic Egyptian texts. The catalogue provides both the Museum and Demoticists generally with a list of all the pieces plus only such information as would make the list useful. It is not intended to be a complete publication of the texts with the usual full transliteration, translation, notes, and photographs or drawings. Rather, samples of each type of text (papyri, ostraca, inscribed stone and wooden pieces) are illustrated on the plates and only the more interesting passages in the texts are given in transliteration and translation. The book concludes with key word, name, title, and geographical name indices.