Introduction
Expenditure list for medical ingredients (SB 10.10492v = P.NYU 2.28). Papyrus fragment (16x11 cm) bearing a receipt for a money loan on the recto (SB 10.10492r = P.NYU 2.27, dated AD 163) and an account listing prices to be paid for the ingredients of medical presciptions, in two columns (a few traces of a preceding column are visible), on the verso (dated to the last third of the 2nd cent. AD). As such, the list looks like a record made of prescriptions as actually compounded, rather than like a compilation for reference like the more common receptaria. The recipes listed are four, each introduced by a title heading ("salves", l. 1; ?, l. 10; "headache", l. 15; "fit of fever", l. 20) sometimes preceded by a dividing paragraphos. The costs are calculated on the basis of a 7-obol drachma. The hand is small and upright, somewhat angular but skilled.
(This papyrus has been digitally edited by Nicola Reggiani as part of the Project "DIGMEDTEXT - Online Humanities Scholarship: A Digital Medical Library based on Ancient Texts" (ERC-AdG-2013, Grant Agreement no. 339828) funded by the European Research Council at the University of Parma (Principal Investigator: Prof. Isabella Andorlini). The digital edition is mostly based on the previous editions (ed.pr. = N. Lewis, SB X 10492v; ed.alt. = B.E. Nielsen, K.A. Worp, P.NYU II 28).)
DCLP transcription: 26899 [xml]
[ -ca.?- ἐμ]πλάστρων·
[ -ca.?- ] (δραχμ ) ιβ vac. ? (δραχμ ) γ
[κηροῦ(?)] (δραχμ ) κη vac. ? (δραχμ ) β
[ -ca.?- ] (ἥμισυ) vac. ? (δραχμ ) α (ὀβολ )
5[ -ca.?- ] ̣ ̣ vac. ? (τριώβολον)
[ -ca.?- ] ̣ ̣ ̣ vac. ? (δραχμ ) α
[ -ca.?- ]ιστ̣ ̣ ̣ vac. ? (δραχμ ) α (ὀβολ )
[ -ca.?- ] vac. ? (διώβολον)
[ -ca.?- ] vac. ? (διώβολον)
——
10α̣ρ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣αντ̣ρ̣ο̣ς̣·
σειρικοῦ(*) (οὐγκία ) γ (τέταρτον) vac. ? (δραχμ ) γ (τριώβολον)(*)
(added at left: (δραχμ ) ε (διώβολον)) πί̣σ̣σης ̣ ̣( )(*) (ἥμισυ) vac. ? (δραχμ ) α
ἐλαίου κοτ(ύλης) (ἥμισυ) vac. ? (τετρώβολον)
ξύλων vac. ? (διώβολον)
——
15κεφαλική·
κηροῦ (δραχμ ) κ vac. ? <(δραχμὴ)> α (τριώβολον)
(added at left: (δραχμ ) ̣χ̣ ̣ ̣) εἰ̣οῦ(*) (δραχμ ) δ vac. ? (δραχμ ) α
ἐλαίου <κοτ(ύλης)> (τέταρτον) vac. ? (διώβολον)
ὄξους vac. ? (ὀβολ ) column ii
20
——
20περίδος·
σειρικοῦ(*) (δραχμ ) η ̣ vac. ? \(δραχμ ) α/
ἐλαίου κοτ(ύλη) α vac. ? (δραχμ ) α (ὀβολ )
κηροῦ (δραχμ ) κη vac. ? (δραχμ ) β
vac. ? (δραχμ ) δ <(ὀβολ )>
25γί(νονται) (δραχμ ) κα (διώβολον)
λευκαρίου κοβα-
θίων(*) γ(*) vac. ? (δραχμαὶ) ιβ
Apparatus
^ i.11. l. συρικοῦ, ed.alt. after M.-H. Marganne, BL 8.358 : σειρικοῦ (l. σηρικοῦ) prev. ed.
^ i.11. corr. ex
^ i.12. or λ̣α̣(?)( )
^ i.17. l. ἰοῦ, λ̣είου prev. ed.
^ ii.21. l. συρικοῦ, ed.alt. after M.-H. Marganne, BL 8.358 : σειρικοῦ (l. σηρικοῦ) prev. ed.
^ ii.26-27. l. κωβα |θίων
^ ii.27. or (οὐγκία )
Editorial History; All History; (detailed)
© Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Notes
- 11.
σειρικοῦ (cf. also l. 21) in this context, better συρικοῦ "Syrian red" i.e. "lead oxide" than σειρικοῦ "jujube".
- 15.
κεφαλική sc. δύναμις "medicament" or ἔμπλαστρος "plaster" (cf. Dsc. MM 3.48 and 88). For a comparable Egyptian prescription against headache cf. pEbers, p. 60 Ebbell.
- 17.
{ε}ἰοῦ "rust" - on the medicinal use of rust see P.Mich. XVII, pp.29-30 (note to ll. 4-5, 11).
- 21.
σειρικοῦ cf. l. 11.
- 26.
κωβάθια denotes the smoke of arsenic sulphids of cobalt, which was thought to produce a whitening effect (cf. Bolus, Physica et Mystica II p. 51,2; Olympiodorus Alchemista II p. 85,1); λευκάριον, which is an addendum lexicis, might well mean the ash resulting from burning that substance.