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The Value of Papyri for the Textual Criticism of Extant Greek Authors1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2013

B. P. Grenfell
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Extract

An excellent survey of the evidence of Greek papyri for purposes of textual criticism together with some cautious generalizations was given by Sir Frederic Kenyon in the Transactions of the British Academy, 1904. The following paper gives a sketch of the present position of the question in the light of both his article and the new evidence which has accrued in the last 14 years.

In literary papyri from Egypt the proportion of extant to new texts is very small in the Ptolemaic period (B.C. 323–30), when apart from Homer, Euripides, Plato, and Demosthenes that all too scanty portion of Greek literature which has survived did not yet stand out very conspicuously from the rest in popularity. In the Roman period (B.C. 30–A.D. 284) the proportion of new to extant works represented in literary papyri is more in the direction of equality, while in the Byzantine period (A.D. 284–640) after the general adoption of Christianity there was a rapid decline of interest in classical studies, and by the 6th century not very many lost classical works seem to have been commonly studied in Upper Egypt, from which the papyri come. In 1904 Sir Frederic Kenyon was dealing with 189 papyri of extant works, of which 109 belonged to Homer, 80 to other authors. Now, however, nearly 300 more have to be added, of which about 120 represent authors other than Homer, so that the material for examination is more than double.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Hellenic Studies , Volume 39 , November 1919 , pp. 16 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies 1919

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References

2 Nicole, , Rev. Philol. xviii. 104.Google Scholar

3 P. Grenf. ii. 2–4.

4 Gerhard, , P. Heidelberg. iv. 1.Google Scholar

5 P. Hibeh 19–22, from the same 3 papyri and another of Il. ii.–iii P. Rylands 49, a small fragment of xvi. with the beginnings of 6 lines, containing 1 new reading, perhaps belongs to the same find.

6 Cf. Murray, , Rise of the Greek Epic, pp. 302–12Google Scholar; Gerhard, , P. Heidelberg, iv. 1, pp. 1–7Google Scholar; Schubart, , Einführung, pp. 91–2.Google Scholar

7 Concluding chorus of the Alcestis, etc. P. Hibeh 25 (3rd cent. B.C.); Electra, 367–79, P. Hibeh 7 (late 3rd cent. B.C.); Hecuba 700–3, 737–40, P. Oxy. 876 (5th cent.); 1252–80, P. Oxy. 877 (3rd cent.); Hippolytus, Berl. klass. Texte v. 2, p. 88 (243–430, 492–515; 6th ? cent.), and p. 96 (616–24; 2nd cent. B.C.); Iphig. in Tauris, P. Hibeh 24 (85 lines scattered over 174–629; before B.C. 240); Medea 5–12, P. Weil (before B.C. 161); 20–6, 57–63, P. Oxy. 1370 (5th cent.); 507–17, 545–60, Berl. klass. Texte v. 2, p. 97 (5th cent.); 710–5, P. Oxy. 450 (3rd cent.); Orestes 53–61, 89–97, P. Oxy. 1616 (5th cent.); 339–43, Mittheil. P. Rain. v. 65 (about A.D. 1); 100 lines scattered over 445–1371, P. Oxy. 1370 (5th cent.); 1062–90, Rev. Philol. xix. 105 (2nd cent.); 1313–60, P. Oxy. 1178 (early 1st cent. B.C.); Phoenissae 107–18, 128–39, Class. Rev. xviii. 2 (2nd cent. B.C.); 171–84, 220–6, P. Oxy. 1177 (early 1st cent.); 1097–1107, 1126–37, Mittheil. P. Rainer v. 74 (5th cent.); 1017–43, 1064–71, P. Oxy. 224 (3rd cent.); Rhesus 48–96, Sitzungsber. Berl. Akad. 1887, 813 (4th or 5th cent.); Troades 876–9, Berl. klass. Texte v. 2, p. 98 (1st cent.).

8 The other papyri are Clouds 1–11, 38–48, P. Oxy. 1371; 36 lines from 177–972, Berl. klass. Texte v. 2, p. 108; 945–1014, op. cit. p. 110; 1371–1428, Hermes xxxv. 602; Frogs 44–50, 85–91, 840–902, P. Oxy. 1372; Knights 37–46, 86–95, Mélanges Nicole 212; Knights 6–15, 1013–7, 1057–62, Peace 1326–35, P. Oxy. 1373; Lysistrata 433–47, 469–84, Mél. Nic. 217; Plutus 1–56, P. Oxy. 1617.

9 xiii. 19–34, P. Oxy. 694 (2nd cent.); scraps of i., iv., v., xiii., xv., xvi., xxii. at Vienna and Paris (Wiener Stud. 1886, 220 + Mittheil. P. Rainer. ii. 78; 5th or 6th cent.); xi. 20–4, xiv. 59–63, Berl. klass. Texte v. l, p. 55 (7th cent.); scholia on v. 38–49, op. cit. p. 56 (1st or 2nd cent.).

10 ii. 101–10, P. Oxy. 1179 (3rd cent.); iii. 145–61, 173–91, Hermes xxxv. 605 (7th cent. ?); iii. 1055–63, P. Oxy. 1243 (2nd cent.); iv. 77–90, P. Oxy. 692 (2nd cent.), besides the four which are referred to above.

11 i. 76, P. Oxy. 19; i. 105–6, P. Oxy. 18 and 1244; i. 115–6, P. Munich; ii. 96–8, 107–8, P. Ryl. 55; v. 78–82, P. Brit. Mus. 1109 (Viljoen, Herodoti fragmenta in papyris servata p. 44); v. 104–5, P. Oxy. 695; vii. 166–7, P. Oxy. 1375. Cf. P. Amherst 12 (3rd cent.), from Aristarchus' commentary on i.

12 i. 11–4, P. Oxy. 1620 (2nd or early 3rd cent.); i. 139–41, P. Oxy. 1245 (4th cent.); commentary on ii. 1–45, P. Oxy. 853 (late 2nd cent.); ii. 2–15, P. Geneva 257 (3rd cent.); ii. 7–8, P. Oxy. 17 (2nd or 3rd cent.); ii. 11, 35, P. Oxy. 1621 (4th cent.); ii. 22–5, P. Oxy. 878 (late 1st cent.); ii. 59–60, P. Giessen 12 (4th or 5th cent.); ii. 65–7, P. Oxy. 1622 (early 2nd cent.); ii. 73–4, P. Oxy. 451 (3rd cent.); ii. 90–1, P. Oxy. 225 (1st cent.); iii. 7–9, P. Oxy. 1623 (5th or 6th cent.); iii 58–9, P. Oxy. 879 (3rd cent.); iv. 28–41, P. Oxy. 16 + 696 (1st cent.); iv. 87, P. Oxy. 452 (late 2nd or 3rd cent.); v. 32–4, 40, 96–8, 103–5, 111, P. Oxy. 880 (late 2nd cent.); v. 60–3, P. Oxy. 1180 (3rd cent.); vi. 32, P. Oxy. 453 (early 2nd cent.); vii. 38, P. Oxy. 1246 (early 2nd cent.); vii. 54–68, 72–3, 78–82, P. Oxy. 1376 (late 2nd or 3rd cent.); viii. 8–11, P. Oxy. 1247 (2nd cent.); viii. 92, Wiener Stud. vii. 116 (7th cent.).

13 Hell. iii. 1, P. Oxy. 28 (2nd cent.); vi. 5, P. Oxy. 226 (1st or 2nd cent.); Cyrop. i. 6–ii. 1, P. Oxy. 698 (3rd cent.); Memor. i. 3, P. Grenf. ii. 13 (3rd or 4th cent.); ii. 1, P. Soc. Ital. 121 (1st or 2nd cent.).

14 P. Petrie i. 5.

15 P. Petrie ii. 50 + Hermathena x. 407.

16 Laches 181–2, P. Brit. Mus. 187 verso (2nd cent.); Leges ix. 862–3, P. Oxy. 23 (before 295); extracts from ii. 832–5, Berl. klass. Texte ii. p. 53 (1st cent, B. C.); Phaedo 109, P. Oxy. 229 (2nd cent.): Politicus 210–2, P. Oxy. 1248 (2nd cent.); Republic iii. 406, P. Oxy. 455 (3rd cent.); iv. 422, P. Oxy. 456 (2nd or 3rd cent.); x. 607–8, P. Oxy. 24 (3rd cent.); De virtute 376, Arch. f. Papyrusf. v. 379 (2nd cent.). Cf. the extract from Phaedrus 265 in Berl. klass. Texte ii. p. 52 (2nd cent.).

17 The others are Demonicus, extracts from 39, 41, 50–1, P. Berlin collated by Drerup (2nd or 3rd cent.); 45, Hermes xxxv. 607 (3rd cent.); 50–3, P. Amh. 25 (1st or 2nd cent.); Nicocles 2–4, Mittheil. P. Rainer iv. 136 (4th cent); 9–11, P. Chicago Lit. 1 (3rd cent.); 47–51, P. Soc. Ital. 16 (5th cent.); Panegyricus 189, and De Pace 1–3, P. Oxy. 1096 (4th cent.); Philippus 114–7, Mittheil. P. Rainer ii. 74 (1st or 2nd cent.); Sophist 16–8, P. Oxy. 704 (3rd cent.); Antidosis 83, 87, P. Oxy. 27 (1st or 2nd cent.).

18 § 1, P. Ryl. 59 (3rd cent.); 7–8, P. Oxy. 461 (3rd cent.); 25–8, P. Oxy. 462 (3rd cent.); 163, 169, P. Ryl. 57 (3rd cent.); 227–9, P. Oxy. 231 (1st or 2nd cent.); 230–1, P. Oxy. 700 (2nd or 3rd cent.); 308, P. Oxy. 25 (3rd cent.).

19 § 10, P. Grenf. ii. 9 (1st or 2nd cent.); 293–5, P. Tebt. 267 (2nd cent.).

20 Besides the 6 described there are Olynth. ii. 10, 15, Class. Rev. vi. 430 (1st or 2nd cent.); Phil. i. 26–9, P. Geneva 3 (5th cent.); ii. 1, 5, P. Amh. 24 (4th cent.); De Pace 2–9, P. Soc. Ital. 129 (4th cent.); 21, 23, P. Oxy. 460 (2nd or 3rd cent.); Aristocr. 149–50, P. Oxy. 883 (3rd cent.); Aristog. i. 47–8, P. Oxy. 882 (2nd cent.); i. 63–7, Brit. Mus. Add. 33473 (2) (collated by Butcher; 5th cent.); Boeot. 50–3, P. Oxy. 702 (2nd cent.); Lept. 78, Class. Quart. 1907, 263 (date?); 84–90, Wilcken, Tafeln zur ält. griech. Paläogr. i. (2nd cent.); Mid. 41–2, Proc. Soc. Bibl. Arch. xv. 86 (4th or 5th cent.); 151–4, P. Oxy. 1378 (3rd cent.); Phorm. 5–7, P. Grenf. ii. 10 (2nd cent.); Timocr. 53–8, P. Oxy. 232 (2nd cent.); 63–5, P. Oxy. 701 (2nd or 3rd cent.); 145–6, 150, P. Oxy. 233 cent.). Cf. the commentaries on Mid., Kenyon, ᾿Αθη- ναίων Πολιτεία ed. 3, App. i. (late 1st cent.), and Androt., Hermes xlii. 274 (1st or 2nd cent.), and lexicons to Mid., Stud. zur Palaeogr. iv. III (4th or 5th cent.), and Aristocr., Berl. klass. Texte i. p. 78 (4th cent.).

21 De falsa leg. §§ 21–30, P. Oxy. 458 (3rd cent.); 74–5, P. Oxy. 440 (3rd cent.).