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My dear Smyly,
I ought to have written before
to thank you for your corrections on
the horoscopes2, which were duly made.
Wilcken3 discusses the matter in his
Gr. Ostraca4 (which I suppose you
have seen5) but he doesnt seem to me
to understand it quite.
Crusius6 paid me a visit here a
fortnight ago and showed me copies of
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some Ptolemaic papyri from Gebelên7 which
they have at Heidelberg. One8 had
a double date (this between ourselves)
"the second year of Cleopatra (II) Soteira9
(B.C. 129/8 according to Wilckens
Gr. Ost I. 785), ξ[ανδικος] πεμπτ̣η10
= Φαωφι πεμπτη11" ; later on in the
same papyrus Peritius is equated corresponds
to Mesore12. I am sorry you have
given up your theory on the dates.
Perhaps this new one will be some
use. The change must have taken
place very shortly afterwards
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We have practically finished O.P.
II and it will appear early in Nov.
It is unlucky for Wilcken that on
some points we shall put him out of
date. I suppose you have been
through his new readings on P.P.13
If there is any thing you want me
to look at in the Oxford ones
let me know. We leave about
Nov. 5 to dig again in the Fayum14
and have another shy at those d-d
mummies.
We are publishing some nice Ptolemaic
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papyri at Gizeh in Wilcken's new
Archiv15, which he says will be out
in November (??). I will send you
an "Auszug16."
Remember me to Mahaffy & tell
him there have been many inquiries
for him here. I regret very much he
didnt turn up as usual this Sept.
I hope your book17 will be out soon. We
have been having a go at Revillout18
on the ^ subject of marriage19. He has completely misled
poor Mitteis20.
1. 1899
2. Cf. P.Oxy. II, pp. 137-39, 304.
4. This refers to the Griechische Ostraka aus Aegypten und Nubien: Ein Beitrag zur antiken Wirtschaftsgeschichte.
5. The Gr. Ostraca appeared in 1899.
10. The papyrus has "Ξανδ]ι̣κοῦ πέμπτηι̣".
11. The papyrus has "Φ̣α̣ῶφι π̣έ̣μ̣πτηι".
12. "corresponds" overwrites "is equated". There is also a suprascript cancellation after "corresponds".
13. Possibly refers to "Petrie Papyri." in the Ostraka volume. Cf., e.g., vol. 1, pp. 186, 194.
14. This is the Tebtunis season.
15. This refers to the Archiv für Papyrusforschung. The article in question is Grenfell, B. P. and Hunt, A. S., "Ptolemaic Papyri in the Gizeh-Museum," vol. 1, no. 1, 1901, pp. 57-65.
16. This means "extract," i.e., "offprint".
17. This presumably refers to The Flinders Petrie Papyri, Part III (1905).
19. See P.Oxy. II pp. 238-41.
21. The more formal close reflects the early date of correspondence between Grenfell and Smyly.