Papyri and Ostraka Collection

Use accession number to retrieve individual fragments when visiting the Reading Room.

Click on the "front" or "back" links for larger images of each fragment.
Ostrakon 1


Ostrakon 1, front and back.

Accession number: 554185
Date of acquisition: January 6, 1933
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Ostrakon, red pottery, Egypt
Date: 4th to 5th century CE

Ostrakon 2


Ostrakon 2, front and back.

Accession number: 554186
Date of acquisition: January 6, 1933
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Fragment from ostrakon
Date: Unknown

Papyrus Fragment 1


Fragment 1, front and back.

Accession number: 554183
Date of acquisition: January 6, 1933
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Greek deed
Date: Unknown

Papyrus Fragment 2


Fragment 2, front and back

Accession number: 554184
Date of acquisition: January 6, 1933
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Document or letter, 17 lines, Egypt
Date: Byzantine period, 6th century CE

Papyrus Fragment 3


Frament 3, front

Accession number: 554187
Date of acquisition: January 6, 1933
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Egyptian papyrus, hieroglyphics
Date: 400-200 BCE

Papyrus Fragment 4


Fragment 4, front and back.

Accession number: 762402
Date of acquisition: December 22, 1937
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Greek papyrus, portion from a document containing the name of the Emperor Domitian, verso blank, Egypt
Date: about 90 CE.
Note: dealer catalog reads "Claudios…Gajus Julius…to the Emperor Domitianus Germanicus."

Papyrus Fragment 5


Fragment 5, front and back.

Accession number: 762403
Date of acquisition: December 22, 1937
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Fragment from a private letter, end of lines missing, verso blank, Egypt
Date: 3rd century CE.

Papyrus Fragment 6


Fragment 6, front and back.

Accession number: 762404
Date of acquisition: December 22, 1937
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Fragment of a private letter in a fine Ptolemaic cursive script
Date: 2nd century BCE.

Papyrus Fragment 7


Fragment 7, front.

Accession number: 819633
Date of acquisition: June 19, 1939
Dealer: Maggs Brothers
Description: Petition to a high official…Upper Egypt
Date: Unknown

Papyrus Fragment 8


Fragment 8, front and back.

Accession number: 942989
Date of acquisition: August 7, 1940
Dealer: Maggs Brothers
Description: Manuscript, money account, perhaps of a club, recording receipts and expenditure. 17 lines of Greek, Egypt
Date: 1st century CE

Papyrus Fragment 9a


Fragment 9a, front and back.

Accession number: 942990
Date of acquisition: August 7, 1940
Dealer: Maggs Brothers
Description: Manuscript fragment of uncertain character, Egypt
Date: 2-3 century CE.

Papyrus Fragment 9b


Fragment 9b, front and back.

Accession number: 942990
Date of acquisition: August 7, 1940
Dealer: Maggs Brothers
Description: Manuscript fragment of uncertain character, Egypt
Date: 2-3 century CE.

Papyrus Fragment 10


Fragment 10, front and back.

Accession number: 1381982
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: General description--12 Greek documents of papyrus (one on leather) small fragments each with a date or to which a date can be assigned. The rarest of all these documents is doubtless the 5th century deed. Dated papyri of that period are very scare (cf. Schubart Papyruskunde, p. 90 and Thompson, Introduction, p. 174) [from library catalog card] Specific description of item: Papyrus fragment, census return dated in the reign of Domitianus
Date: 89-90 CE (G130)

Papyrus Fragment 11


Fragment 11, front.

Accession number: 1381983
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment, petition
Date: 1st century CE
Note: the second year in line 6 is probably that of Trajan (98-99 CE) since Pompeius in line 8 may be the Prefect of Egypt, Pompeius Planta (Prefect 98-99 CE).]

Papyrus Fragment 12


Fragment 12, front and back.

Accession number: 1381984
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment. Receipt for green (fodder?)
Date: dated in the 5th year of Hadrian, 120-121 CE.

Papyrus Fragment 13


Fragment 13, front.

Accession number: 1381985
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment. Contract
Date: dated 4th year of Antoninus Pius, 141 CE.

Papyrus Fragment 14


Fragment 14, front and back.

Accession number: 1381986
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment. Antichretic loan, reign of Antoninus Pius
Date: 138-161 CE.

Papyrus Fragment 15


Fragment 15, front and back.

Accession number: 1381987
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment. Fragment of lease, Oxyrhynchus
Date: dated in the joint reign of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, 176-180 CE.

Papyrus Fragment 16


Fragment 16, front and back.

Accession number: 1381988
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment. Census return
Date: 188 CE.

Papyrus Fragment 17


Fragment 17, front.
Accession number: 1381989
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment. Act of indemnity, reign of Commodus, 10th Pachon of the 31st year
Date: 191 CE. (G12)

Papyrus Fragment 18


Fragment 18, front.

Accession number: 1381990
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment.
Date: Reign of Caracalla, 211-217 CE (G300)

Papyrus Fragment 19


Fragment 19, front and back.

Accession number: 1381991
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Fragment on leather with remains of a date in the reign of Valerian, Gallienus and Saloninus
Date: 253-260 CE (G133).

Papyrus Fragment 20


Fragment 20, front and back.

Accession number: 1381992
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment. Petition or official letter, joint reign of Constantine, Maximinus and Maximinanus
Date: 305-306 CE (G149)

Papyrus Fragment 21


Fragment 21, front and back.

Accession number: 1381993
Date of acquisition: In or after 1952 (see note below)
Dealer: Erik von Scherling
Description: Papyrus fragment. Prescript of an agreement. The only name preserved is that of Aurelius Theodorus of Oxynhynchus.
Date: Dated the year after the consulship of Falvius Eudoxius and Dioscorus, Hathyr, 442 CE. (G52).


Note: The "G" number may be a bibliographic or catalog reference. It appears on older labels used to describe this twelve document collection.

Fragments 10-21 were offered for sale by von Scherling in 1952, as noted in volume 6 of Rotulus, the catalog/bulletin produced by von Scherling. It is likely that the University acquired these fragments in that year, or shortly thereafter. Our thanks to Prof. Dr. K. A. Worp of the Papyrological Institute, Leiden University, The Netherlands, for assistance with additional information on these fragments.

©2005 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. University Libraries. All rights reserved.

Send comments to: Tim Johnson
Special Collections/Rare Books, 111 Elmer L. Andersen Library
222 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455

URL: http://special.lib.umn.edu/rare/papyri.html
Last Revised: August 9, 2006

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