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Introduction

Medical prescriptions (O.Bodl. II 2186). The ostrakon belongs to the Theban medical dossier ( Préaux 1956 ) and preserves the remains of at least two recipes, the second one of which is a "cicatrizing powder". The hand (the same as O.Bodl. II 2184 - 2185 ) is a large uncial difficult to date with any precision. The potsherd is certainly assignable to the Byzantine era.

(This papyrus has been digitally edited by Nicola Reggiani in the framework of the PRIN 2017 Project "Greek and Latin Literary Papyri from Graeco-Roman and Late Antique Fayum (4th BC – 7th AD): Texts, Contexts, Readers" funded by the Italian Ministry of Research (P.I. Prof. Lucio Del Corso, University of Cassino; Local Research Unit at the University of Parma, coordinator: Prof. Nicola Reggiani). The digital edition is mostly based on the previous editions (ed.pr. = C. Préaux, O.Bodl. II 2186; ed.alt. = C. Préaux, CE 31, 1956, pp. 144-6).)

Notes

• 10.

  τουμενου: κρατούμενος, ἐπικρατούμενος are quite frequently met with in the medical literature, usually defining a remedy "powerful" against certain diseases. However, if the term here was connected to the name of the medicament, ξηρὸν σαρκοτικὸν καὶ συνολουτικόν, we should expect it in the nominative; the genitive, as already Préaux noted, suggests the typical construction διά + ingredient, but without further possibilities to reconstruct the word. A grammatical mistake can always be supposed. κουστούμηνα are pears of the Crustumerian variety (Aet. V 138), but we should posit a phonetic irregularity, and that word is attested in the plural only.