Papyrus Fragment
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
- Period
- Roman period, 30 BCE–395 CE
- Date
- early 4th century CE
- Material
- Ink on papyrus
- from
- Oxyrhynchus, Al Minya governorate, Egypt, Africa
- Classification
- Books & manuscripts
- Collection
- Ancient Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 5 1/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13 x 9.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 370:1923
NOTES
“Nothing is certain except death and taxes,” wrote Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father of the United States, in November 1789. This document, which dates to over 1,000 years before Jefferson’s iconic statement, seems to bear that out. It records the payment of gold and silver for an unspecified tax paid by two different individuals: one man named Aurelius Kopreus and another called only Eulogios. This fragment comes from the site of Oxyrhynchus in central Egypt, where, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thousands of documents dating from the 1st–6th century CE were discovered.
Provenance
1893 - 1908
Excavated by B. P. Grenfell (1869-1926) and A. S. Hunt (1871-1934), Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, under the administration of the Egyptian Exploration Society, Graeco-Roman Branch [1]
1893 - 1922
Egyptian Exploration Society, London, England [2]
1922 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from the Egyptian Exploration Society [3]
Notes:
[1] The excavation of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, one of the most important archaeological and philological discoveries of the 20th century, was conducted by Grenfell and Hunt under the administration of the Egyptian Exploration Society (EES) during the years 1893 to 1908. In 1897, a special department of the EES was created, called the Graeco-Roman Branch, for the discovery and publication of remains of classical antiquity and early Christianity in Egypt. The publication of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri was conducted by this branch, under the series title of "Graeco-Roman Memoirs." [Grenfell and Hunt, "The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Vol. 15, London: Egyptian Exploration Society, 1922], ["The Graeco-Roman Branch," Egypt Exploration Society, accessed July 25, 2007,].
[2] The EES was in possession of this selection of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri (368-377:1923) from their excavation until 1922. This group was originally apportioned to Washington University in St. Louis along with a larger selection of papyri, but relegated to the City Art Museum. See letter from Samuel L. Sherer, Esq., Director of the City Art Museum of Saint Louis to Miss Marie N. Buckman, Secretary of the Egyptian Exploration Society, dated June 27, 1922 [SLAM document files].
[3] See note [2]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 21, 1922 [SLAM document files].
Excavated by B. P. Grenfell (1869-1926) and A. S. Hunt (1871-1934), Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, under the administration of the Egyptian Exploration Society, Graeco-Roman Branch [1]
1893 - 1922
Egyptian Exploration Society, London, England [2]
1922 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from the Egyptian Exploration Society [3]
Notes:
[1] The excavation of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, one of the most important archaeological and philological discoveries of the 20th century, was conducted by Grenfell and Hunt under the administration of the Egyptian Exploration Society (EES) during the years 1893 to 1908. In 1897, a special department of the EES was created, called the Graeco-Roman Branch, for the discovery and publication of remains of classical antiquity and early Christianity in Egypt. The publication of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri was conducted by this branch, under the series title of "Graeco-Roman Memoirs." [Grenfell and Hunt, "The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Vol. 15, London: Egyptian Exploration Society, 1922], ["The Graeco-Roman Branch," Egypt Exploration Society, accessed July 25, 2007,
[2] The EES was in possession of this selection of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri (368-377:1923) from their excavation until 1922. This group was originally apportioned to Washington University in St. Louis along with a larger selection of papyri, but relegated to the City Art Museum. See letter from Samuel L. Sherer, Esq., Director of the City Art Museum of Saint Louis to Miss Marie N. Buckman, Secretary of the Egyptian Exploration Society, dated June 27, 1922 [SLAM document files].
[3] See note [2]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, June 21, 1922 [SLAM document files].
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.