OPES – Oslo Papyri Electronic System

Background and Physical Properties

Material:

Papyrus

Connections:

–

Size:

7.2 x 7.6 cm

Lines:

7

Publication side:

Recto (Verso: blank)

Palaeographic description:

Uneven semi cursive hand displaying great contrast in letter size and stroke thickness. The writing runs along the fibres. The presence of remains of a horizontal line ca. 0.8 cm above the first line suggests that before being cut the papyrus belonged to a sheet which contained more than one horoscope (cf. the paragraphoi separating the horoscopes in P.Mich. inv. 6664, P.Med. inv. 163 = TM 18269, P.Oxy. XLVI 3298, PSI I 22 and 24, P.Warr. 21).

State of preservation:

Light to medium brown papyrus, with a darker 1 cm wide strip along the left edge corresponding to a kollesis. Right over left kollesis edge visible on the verso about 1 cm from the right edge. The text is relatively well preserved, apart from the occasional faded letter. The ink of the first four letters on l. 5 appears to have blotted the immediately surrounding area. The fragment is broken off at the end of the lines, leaving no right margin. Incomplete left margin or intercolumnal space: 0.9 cm. Lower margin: 4.1 cm.

Content

Date:

11 March 150 CE

Origin:

Unknown, Egypt

Language:

Greek

Genre:

Sub-literary

Author:

–

Title / Type of text:

Horoscope of Philoe / Horoscope

Content:

The nativity horoscope of Philoe, born on 11 March 150 CE in the fourth hour of the night. All computations of planetary positions agree with the text, except for the position of the moon (see Heegard 1931).

Subjects:

Subliterature Horoscope Astrology Magic

Named people:

Philoe

Named places:

–

English translation:

Nativity of Philoe. Year 13 of Antoninus Caesar the Lord. Phamenoth 15 to 16, 4th hour of the night, sun in Pisces, Jupiter and Mercury in Aries, Saturn in Cancer, Mars in Leo, Venus (and) Moon in Aquarius. Scorpio is the Horoscopos. (transl. Neugebauer & van Hoesen)

Provenance:

Unknown, Egypt

Acquisition:

Acquired by S. Eitrem in Egypt

Acquisition year:

1920

Editions

• Eitrem, S., P.Oslo I, 1925, p. 6 (no. 6), picture: P.Oslo II, plate 1c
• Heegaard, P., P. Oslo II, 1931, pp. 146-151, picture: plate 1c
• Neugebauer, O., & van Hoesen, H. B., Greek Horoscopes, 1959, pp. 47-48 (no. 150)

Further Literature

Catalogues

TM 23943

Translations

• Hunt, A. S., & Edgar, C. C. (1932). Select Papyri I. Non-Literary Papyri. Private Affairs. Harvard University Press. Text and translation on pp. 444-445 (no. 199). NB: the translation corresponds to Eitrem's (1925) first edition, and does not agree with the revised Greek text on the facing page.
• Neugebauer, O., & Van Hoesen, H. B. (1959). Greek Horoscopes. The American Philosophical Society. Text and translation on pp. 47-48 (no. 150).

Discussions

• Macnaughton, D. (1932). A Scheme of Egyptian Chronology. Luzac & Co. Says that the scribe wrote the date according to the ancient Egyptian reckoning (contra Heegard), while unaware that he was consulting an account written in terms of the Alexandrian calendar; see note p. 331.
• Winter, J. G. (1933).* Life and Letters in the Papyri*. University of Michigan Press. On astrological material in Greek papyri; see pp. 263-264.
• Baccani, D. (1992).* Oroscopi greci. Documentazione papirologica*. Sicania. List of all Greek horoscopes on papyri; see pp. 18-21.
• Montserrat, D. (1996). Sex and society in Græco-Roman Egypt. Routledge. On the importance of natal astrology in Egypt; see p. 205.
• Winkler, A. (2022). The first zodiac sign and the daimon: the advent of an astrological tradition and seven elaborate horoscopes. Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 51, 267–319. http://dx.doi.org/10.17169/refubium-41373. On the structure of Egyptian and Greek horoscopes; see p. 271 n. 30.