Ann-Katrin Gill Ordre des livres

The belief that dead people could assume non-human forms is attested in Egyptian texts of all periods, from the Old Kingdom down to Graeco-Roman times. It was thought that assuming such forms enhanced their freedom of movement and access to nourishment in the afterlife, as well as allowing them to join the entourages of different deities and participate in their worship. Spells referring to or enabling the deceased’s transformations occur in the Pyramid Texts, the Coffin Texts, and the Book of the Dead. But it is not until the Graeco-Roman Period that we find entire compositions devoted to this theme. Two of the most important are P. Louvre N. 3122 and P. Berlin P. 3162, both written in hieratic and dating to the 1st century AD. Both texts have been known to Egyptologists for more than a century, but neither is currently available in an up-to-date comprehensive edition. This book provides such an edition, including high-resolution images of the manuscripts, hieroglyphic transcriptions, translations, descriptions of their material aspects, studies of their owners, their titles, and their families, reconstructions of their context of usage, analyses of their orthography and grammar, and detailed commentaries on their contents.

This monograph presents the first edition of ritual texts from two Theban papyri in the British Museum, EA 10252 and EA 10081, dated to 307/6 BC. EA 10252 features an impressive 750 cm of text across 50 columns, while EA 10081 contains 450 cm and 37 columns, totaling 15 distinct compositions. The texts are inscribed in hieratic and later glossed in both hieratic and demotic, showcasing at least four scribal hands. Originally, these papyri formed a single roll, linked to the Khoiak festival, a significant celebration of Osiris. Around 300 BC, the manuscript was adapted by the individual Pawerem for his afterlife benefit. This edition presents the papyri as a complete work, excluding the Glorifications I, II, and III. It includes hieroglyphic transcription, transliteration, translation, and line-by-line commentary, addressing key questions about the papyri's acquisition, material aspects, date, provenance, layout, scribal divisions, and Pawerem's connection to them. Additionally, it explores the content and context of the compositions, their grammar, orthography, translations, and glosses. The work is supplemented with palaeography, full photographic documentation, and synopses.