Zeus and Torches (Berlin Paian nr 6870 from the Egyptian Museum in Berlin)
Zeus and Torches (Berlin Paian nr 6870 from the Egyptian Museum in Berlin)

Summary/Abstract: The papyrus signed with number 6870 in the Berlin Egyptian Museum was discovered in 1918 in Contrapollinopolis (Tebais), being a reverse of a military document dated for the end of the year 156 AD, which is terminus ante quam non for the whole document (the reverse texts and notes seem to be written down a little later: in the end of the 2nd or the very beginning of the 3rd century AD1). The discovery has become famous thanks to the five musical fragments – three pieces of them have text with musical notation inscribed above, and two are only musical notes. Among these three pieces of poetry with musical notation only one – the paian – is interesting, because the other two we can hardly call even fragmentary: there are just few letters.

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