AMERICAN STUDIES IN PAPYROLOGY Series Editor Ann Ellis Hanson Number 36 WRITING, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS IN GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT by Raffaella Cribiore WRITING, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS IN GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT by RAFFAELLA CRIBIORE S cholars P ress A tlanta, G eorgia WRITING, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS IN GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT by RAFFAELLA CRIBIORE © 1996 The American Society of Papyrologists The publication of this book was assisted by a grant from the Stanwood Cockey Lodge Foundation of Columbia University Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Cribiore, Raffaella. Writing, teachers, and students in Graeco-Roman Egypt / by Raffaella Cribiore. p. cm. — (American studies in papyrology ; no. 36) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0-7885-0277-8 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Written communication—Study and teaching—Egypt. 2. Literacy— Egypt—History. 3. Paleography—Egypt. I. Title. II. Series: American studies in papyrology ; v. 36. P211.3.E3C75 1996 302.2'244'07062—dc20 96-8012 CIP Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper For Alberto Contents List of Tables and Graphs viii List of Plates ix Abbreviations xi Preface xiii Part One Introduction 1 1 Writing in Graeco-Roman Egypt 3 2 Evidence for Schools and Teachers 13 3 The School Exercises 27 Part Two Identifying School Exercises 35 4 Types of Textual Material 37 5 Writing Materials Used in Schools 57 6 Distinguishing Characteristics of School Exercises 75 7 Palaeography: Teachers’ and Students’ Hands 97 Part Three Writing in Graeco-Roman Schools 119 8 The Teachers’Models 121 9 Writing and Levels of Education 129 10 Learning to Write 139 Conclusion 153 Appendices 1 List of Teachers 161 2 List of Students 171 Catalogue 1 Introduction 173 2 Catalogue 175 3 Items Excluded from the Catalogue 285 Bibliography 289 Concordances 298 Index 313 vili List of Tables and Graphs Tables Table 1 73 Table 2 73 Table 3 74 Graphs Fig. 1 130 Fig. 2 130 Fig. 3 132 Fig. 4 132 Fig. 5 134 Fig. 6 134 Fig. 7 136 List of Plates Plate Exercises I 1 16 34 36 II 38 39 III 37 41 42 50 51 52 IV 56 57 62 V 59 64 71 73 VI 72 74 127 VII 83 Vili 65 93 96 IX 97 X 98 109 111 XI 99 108 110 123 XII 112 113 126 XIII 114 115 128 XIV 129 132 140 XV 133 XVI 131 173 XVII 137 143 146 XVIII 161 162 179 181 198 XIX 182 183 187 XX 184 185 204 208 214 XXI 193 201 221 XXII 213 234 XXIII 235 XXIV 212 233 249 XXV 237 242 XXVI 241 XXVII 254 XXVIII 240 256 258 XXIX 262 XXX 259 270 XXXI 263 XXXII 261 273 275 XXXIII 280 281 284 XXXIV 291 316 XXXV 292 XXXVI 293 294 296 XXXVII 297 XXXVIII 298 XXXIX 299 XL 315 XLI 315 XLII 315 XLIII 315 317 XLIV 319 XLV 326 XLVI 326 XLVII 327 XLVIII 329 XLIX 330 L 332 336 LI 333 LII 334 337 LIII 339 341 LIV 343 LV 343 LVI 344 LVII 347 LVIII 346 350 LIX 361 LX 363 LXI 364 LXII 366 LXIII 372 LXIV 372 LXV 374 378 LXVI 376 LXVII 380 LXVIII 380 LXIX 380 LXX 385 LXXI 385 LXXII 385 LXXIII 389 LXXIV 389 LXXV 403 LXXVI 403 LXXVII 404 LXXVIII 404 405 LXXIX 406 LXXX 410 Abbreviations Abbreviations for editions of papyri, ostraca, and tablets follow J.F. Oates et al., Checklist of Editions of Greek and Latin Papyri, Ostraca and Tablets, 4th ed. (BASP Suppl. 7, 1992). Journals and standard works are abbreviated as in L’ Année Philologique and the American Journal of Archaeology. Modern works cited more than once (and some cited only once) appear in the Bibliography and are indicated everywhere else by author’s name and date of publication; those cited only once are given in full. In addition, the following will be used: CA = Powell, Johannes U, Collectanea Alexandrina (Oxford 1925). CGFP = Austin, Colin, Comicorum Graecorum Fragmenta in Papyris Reperta (Berlin 1973). CO = Crum, Walter Ewig, Coptic Ostraca (London 1902). CPF = Corpus dei papiri filosofici Greci e Latini voi. I (Firenze 1989); voi. II (1992). D = Debut, Janine, "Les documents scolaires," ZPE 63 (1986) 251-78. Kock = Kock, Theodor, Comicorum Atticorum Fragmenta (Leipzig 1880-88). Nauck = Nauck, August, Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta (Leipzig 1889). P2 = Pack, Roger A., The Greek and Latin Literary Texts from Greco-Roman Egypt (Ann Arbor 1965). PCG = Kassel, R., and C. Austin, Poetae Comici Graeci (Berlin and New York 1983-). PGB = Schubart, Wilhelm, Papyri Graecae Berolinenses (Bonn 1911). SH = Lloyd-Jones, Hugh, and Peter Parsons, Supplementum Hellenisticum (Berlin and New York 1983). SLG = Norsa, Medea, La scrittura letteraria greca dal sec. IV a.C. all’VIII d.C. (Florence, 1939). TrGF = Kannicht, Richard, and Bruno Snell, Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta (Göttingen 1981); Radt, S.L., Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta (Göttingen 1985). Z = Zalateo, Giorgio, "Papiri scolastici," Aegyptus 41 (1961) 160-235.