Edition of the Archive of the strategus Apollonios

In the perspective of the wider public ancient Egypt is usually associated with the archaeological remains and testimonies of the pharaonic period the pyramids, the tomb of Tut-anch-amun, the famous bust of Nefertiti. But Egypt also preserved many ten thousands of Greek papyri from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods (332 v.Chr. 641 CE). This evidence from the Greek millenium on the Nile provides more than any other a deep insight in the daily lives of the people in classical antiquity. This applies also for the archive of the strategus Apollonios. With its about 230 texts it constitutes by far the the biggest and most important dossier of documents for the first two centuries of Roman Rule over Egypt. The archive took its name from the most prominent addressee of most of the letters in the dossier. This Apollonios functioned as head of the civil administration (strategus) of the administrative district of Apollonopolites Heptakomias in Upper Egypt between ca. 113 and 120 CE. Besides official correspondence the archive contains numerous private letters written by family members, friends, employess and business partners of Apollonios. These documents are of paramount importance for the history of Roman Egypt. This is particularly the case for the administrative history of Upper Egypt, since the nome Apollonopolites Heptakomias is solely known from the archive. On the other hand the documents shed some light on the uprising of the Jewish diaspora in Egypt (115/116-117 CE) and the impact of this war on the local population of the country. Finally the texts provide interesting information for the social, economic and cultural history of Roman Egypt. A complete edition of the archive is an urgent desideratum because its texts are scattered over 16 different collections and are only available in editions of sometimes considerable age and different quality. The project will for the first time bring together all this dispersed information. After the inspection of the texts either by autopsy of the original papyri or with the help of digital images all the documents of the archive will be edited with a commentary, translation and an image. The study of this exciting archive, of the persons appearing in it and the issues of their letters offers the rare chance for an illuminating insight in the social and economic conditions of a family of the urban elite of Egypt at the beginning of the 2nd century CE, as well as its material culture and level of education. The project will thus allow for a better understanding of the realities of life of the population of a Roman imperial province.

The projects goal was the first complete critical edition of the archive of the strategus Apollonios which is the most important dossier of papyrus documents from Egypt for the first two centuries CE. It comprises some 245 Greek documents. The most prominent person appearing in it is a man named Apollonios. He originated from Hermopolis in Middle Egypt and functioned between ca. 113-120 CE as head of the civil administration (strategus) of the nome (district) Apollonopolites Heptakomias in Upper Egypt. Besides the official correspondence Apollonios is the addressee of most of the private letters in the archive, written by family members, friends, employees, and business partners. These documents are of paramount importance for the history of Roman Egypt. This is particularly the case for the administrative history of Upper Egypt, since the nome Apollonopolites Heptakomias is solely known from the archive. On the other hand the documents shed some light on the uprising of the Jewish diaspora in Egypt (115/116-117 CE) and the impact of this war on the local population of the country. Finally the texts provide illuminating information for the social, economic and cultural background of a family of the local hellenised municipal elite of Egypt and their level of education and literacy. A complete edition of the archive was always an urgent desideratum because its texts are scattered over 16 different collections and are only available in editions of sometimes considerable age and different quality. All texts have beeen re-edited with a critical apparatus, a commentary, a bibliography, an image and a translation. An elaborate introduction to the volume embraces the relevant historical and philological aspects of the dossier.