Introduction
List of ingredients for a medical recipe (P.Louvre SN 144 = GMP I 14 = P.Sijp. 6). Papyrus sheet (20 x 11.1 cm) cut out of a roll and almost entirely preserved. It contains a list of 9 ingredients without title and prescription, but it is possible to attach it to the genre of the achariston eye-salves (cf. Youtie 1976 and Andorlini 1981a), which are characterized by the presence of seven recurring ingredients: zinc oxide (calamine), copper, acacia juice, heather, opium, myrrh, and gum, variously combined also with other substances (cf. Gal. Comp.med.sec.loc. IV 6-7 = XII 753-6 K.). The papyrus is difficult to date on palaeographical grounds; it can be assigned to the 4th-5th cent. AD. The verso is unwritten.
(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. = J.-L. Fournet - C. Magdelaine, GMP I 14; ed.alt. = A. Jördens, P.Sijp. 6)
DCLP transcription: 69008 [xml]
καδμίας(*) (οὐγκίαι) δ
σβήρνα(*) (οὐγκίαι) β
ἀλόη̣ς̣ (οὐγκία) α
5ὄπι(*) (οὐγκία) α
γερτι̣κ̣ῆς(*) (οὐγκίας) 𐅵̣(*)
ἀκακίας λί(τρα) α
κώμεος(*) λί(τρα) α
ἀμονιακοῦ(*) (οὐγκίας) 𐅵
Editorial History; All History; (detailed)
© Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri.
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Notes
- 1.
χαλκοῦ is likely a copper oxide or sulfate (chalkos kekaumenos): cf. P.Mich. inv.482, i 3, 14, ii 24; P.Ross.Georg. V 57v, 6; MPER XIII 3, 2, 8; Youtie 1976, 124. For the numerous attestations of copper see Gazza 1956, 105, and Préaux 1956, 140-1. οὐγκίαι: here and below, the symbol is made up of gamma only, instead of the usual omicron-gamma. A drachma-sign (which would point to smaller quantities) is not to be ruled out at all, but a dosage expressed in ounces is not unknown (cf. Aet. VII 104 = CMG VIII 2, p. 364,5-9 Olivieri; Id. VII 107 = CMG VIII 2, p. 394,13-7 Olivieri; Alex.Trall. II 21,21-22,3 Puschm.).
- 2.
καδμείας: zinc oxide with astringent power (cf. Dsc. Mat.med. V 74 = III 38,7 Wellmann); Gal. Simpl. IX 3,11 = XII 219-21 K.; Plin. NH XXXIV 100-5). For the attestations in the papyri see Gazza 1965, 102; Préaux 1956, 140; Andorlini 1981b, 65-70.
- 3.
ζμύρνης: on the therapeutical usage of myrrh see Dsc. Mat.med. I 57,6-59,9 and 64; Gal. Simpl. VIII 18,30 = XII 127 K.; Plin. NH XII 66-71. For its attestations in the papyri (mostly with an ophthalmological employment) cf. Gazza 1965, 97-8, and Andorlini 1981b, 61-5.
- 4.
ἀλόης: on the ophthalmological usage of aloe see Dsc. Mat.med. III 22 (II 28,1-30,8 Wellmann); Gal. Simpl. VI 1,23 (XI 821-2 K.) and Comp.med.sec.loc. IV 5 (XII 717 K.); Plin. NH XXVII 18. For the attestations of this ingredient in the papyri see Gazza 1965, 77-8, and Fausti 1997, 100.
- 5.
ὀπί⟨ου⟩: it is certainly poppy juice, a powerful analgesic (cf. Dsc. Mat.Med. IV 64 = II 218,6-221,21 Wellmann; Gal. Simpl. VII 12,13 = XII 72-4 K.; Plin. NH XX 198-203). The papyrological attestations are recorded and discussed by Gazza 1965, 89, and Fausti 1997, 103.
- 6.
κελτικῆ "Celtic nard" (according to ed.pr.) is not frequent in this type of prescriptions but not completely odd (for this ingredient cf. Dsc. Mat.med. I 8 = I 12,22-13,23 Wellmann; Gal. Simpl. VIII 13,2 = XII 85 K. and Comp.med.sec.loc. X 4 = XIII 275 K.; Plin. NH XIV 107 and XXI 135; in the papyri: Gazza 1965, 89-90; Fausti 1997, 103); ἐρείκη "heather" (according to ed.alt.) is far more frequent, and one of the "fixed" ingredients of an achariston.
- 7.
ἀκακίας: acacia juice (cf. Dsc. Mat.med. I 101 = I 92,27-94,8 Wellmann; Gal. Simpl. VI 1,12 = XI 816-7 K.; Plin. NH XXIV 109). Its papyrological occurrences are almost only connected with ophthalmological remedies: see Gazza 1965, 75, and Fausti 1997, 100. For the acacia tree in Egypt see B. Kramer, ZPE 97 (1993), J. Kramer, ZPE 97 (1993), B. Kramer, APF 41 (1995)220-1, and J. Kramer, APF Beiheft 30 (2011).
- 8.
κόμ⟨μ⟩εως: Arabic gum (cf. Dsc. Mat.med. I 66 = I 59,14-60,17 Wellmann; Gal. Simpl. VII 10,40 = XII 34-5 K.; Plin. NH XXIV 109). In the papyri, it almost always finds application in eye-salves: see. Gazza 1965, 77; Préaux 1956, 141; Youtie 1975, 561.
- 9.
ἀμ⟨μ⟩ωνιακοῦ: on the ground of the overall astringent nature of the collyrium prescriped in this texts, it might be ammonium chloride (mentioned very often by Gal. Comp.med.sec.loc. IV 7 = XII 778-9 K.), but since its salt is never mentioned with the adjective only, it might well be ammonium gum, being mentioned after two more types of gum (acacia juice and Arabic gum). Ammonium gum is the juice of Ferula communis and its use in the composition of collyria is attested (e.g. Aet. VII 104 = CMG VIII 2, p. 354,5), though its occurrences in the papyri are quite rare (cf. Gazza 1965, 78). It might be the case, as advanced in the ed.alt., that its mention here was an outcome of the writer's personal experience.