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| petra
papyri |
Date:
Wed, 5 Jan 1994
From:
"David N. Wigtil"
Subject:
Papyri from church at Petra
FORWARDED
MESSAGE FROM Vincent Broman VIA THE NT-GREEK LIST.:
I received a copy of this press release from another email group.
I'm tantalized, because it seems seems almost certain that the find
will provide early greek biblical texts from outside Egypt, assuming
they can unroll the dern things. Anyone know more?
This is the full text of the ACOR press release, dated December 22,
and transcribed here [another email list] with permission. ACOR -
AMERICAN CENTER OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT TEXTS IN
PETRA A number of texts of potentially major significance have been
uncovered at Petra following two months of excavations in areas
immediately adjacent to the Byzantine church. The church excavation
of 1992 and 1993 produced spectacular mosaics in the aisles of the
church which have been widely reported. The current excavation is
being conducted in areas flanking the basilica in advance of a
protective shelter to be built over the site. the ACOR Petra Project
includes archaeological excavation, the conservation of the
recovered mosaics and the construction of a protective shelter over
the site. Excavations at Petra are currently being conducted by the
American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in cooperation with the
Department of Antiquities with the purpose of enhancing and
broadening the touristic attraction of Petra. ACOR is supported in
the endeavor by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Jordan.
ACOR's Petra Project in financed under a grant by the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) in Amman. ACOR Director
Dr. Pierre M. Bikai became the overall director of the Petra Project
in May 1992 when the project director, Dr. Kenneth W. Russell, died
tragically just as the excavation was to begin. Dr. Russell had
previously conducted archaeological excavations at Petra and
discovered and recorded the site in 1990. Fieldwork is being led by
Dr. Zbigniew Fiema, chief archaeologist in charge of excavations,
with the assistance of Mr. Suleiman Farajat of the Department of
Antiquities. The texts were excavated with the expert guidance and
assistance of archaeological conservator Catherine Valentour,
formerly of the Smithsonian Institution, and with the assistance of
staff archaeologist Deborah Kooring. The texts are in the form of
papyrus scrolls which originally measured some 30 cm long and
perhaps some 5-8 cm in diameter. The preservation of the scrolls
cannot be compared to that of the famous Qumran scrolls. While the
latter were well-preserved, the Petra scrolls were carbonized in a
fire which destroyed the superstructure of the adjacent church and
affected the area of the building complex where the scrolls were
kept. The scrolls were found crushed under and between the charcoal
remains of the shelving on which they had apparently been stacked,
and beneath nearly four meters of stone from the superstructure of
the building. This building, like the church, collapsed in a
earthquake, perhaps that which affected Petra in AD. 551. Because of
their flattened and carbonized condition, the number of scrolls has
yet to be determined. It is conservatively estimated that at least
forty scrolls may eventually be separated. In addition to the
scrolls, carbonized, basketry, copper hinges (or clasps), glass
fragments, small bronze chains, and burned wooden disks were
recovered from the charcoal matrix. This indicates that the scrolls
were originally rolled around a rod fitted with end-caps, and were
stored in textile "sleeves" and/or wooden boxes with
inlaid glass decoration. Somewhat miraculously, the writing on the
carbonized papyrus in still quite legible. Byzantine Greek script
has been noted on the majority of fragments, in addition to a
cursive script which has yet to be identified. Only when these
carbonized papyri are separated, conserved, and carefully unwrapped
can the script be identified and understood. Until that time the
significance of the texts remains tantalizingly unknown. With the
assistance of the Department of Antiquities, ACOR is now in the
process of assembling a committee of international experts to
undertake this delicate and demanding task. ACOR would like to
gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the former Ministers of
Tourism and Antiquities, Abdul Karim Kabariti and Yanal Hikmat, of
the present Minister Mohammed Affash Al-Udwan, of the Secretary
General of the Ministry of Tourism, Nasri Atallah, and of the
Director General of the Department of Antiquities, Dr. Safwan Tell.
Date:
Wed, 5 Jan 1994
From:
"James G. Keenan"
Subject:
Re: Papyri from church at Petra
Ludwig
Koenen (Michigan) left for Amman a few days ago; he will be the
first papyrologist to have a look and to give technical advice on
the unrolling. Maybe then more will be known about the contents of
the papyri. Some of the writing has been identified as not being
Greek. If it's Syriac, bets are the texts are biblical; if
Nabataean, they are probably documentary papyri--some of them,
anyway.
Date:
Wed, 5 Jan 1994
From:
David Meadows
Subject:
Re: Papyri from church at Petra
The
chat about these papyri have been making the rounds of the ANE list
as well. About a week ago there was a rather good piece on them on
CNN, believe it or not. They interviewed the Polish fellow in charge
and showed the rolls themselves, which have now been transported to
a lab wrapped in alumium (aluminium for you across the pond) looking
much like submarine sandwiches. The rolls themselves seemed very
badly charred to me and the report said they would require chemical
treatment to retrieve the writing, and even with such treatment
there seemed to be some doubt (the rolls looked like logs which had
been in a fire for quite a while). I can't recall whther any of the
writing had been identified as Greek, Aramaic, Nabatean, or
whatever.
Date:
Fri, 7 Jan 1994
From:
"Terry L. Papillon"
Subject:
Re: Papyri from church at Petra
David,
I'm not aware of the new technique which use as "lab wrapped in
aluminum." (hee hee hee) :) Sorry, couldn't resist. |
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