Pathyris Topography Database
About the Database
The Pathyris Topography Database is one of the principal research outputs of the Ptolemaic Pathyris Project - interdisciplinary research on the urban layout and domestic architecture of the town (NCN Polonez Bis 2, 2022/45/P/HS3/01807). It was created to collect, systematise, and analyse topographical and architectural information preserved in the written sources originating from the Ptolemaic town of Pathyris.
The database provides a comprehensive collection of references to quarters, the street network, urban spaces, private properties, and other topographical features mentioned in Greek and Demotic documentary sources from Pathyris. By bringing together dispersed information preserved in individual texts, it offers a tool for reconstructing the urban landscape and architecture of the town during the Ptolemaic period.
The database is intended as a research tool for archaeologists, papyrologists, historians, Egyptologists, and scholars interested in settlement archaeology, urban studies, the social history of Graeco-Roman Egypt, as well as written documents from Pathyris.
Scope and Limitations
The Pathyris Topography Database focuses exclusively on the urban area of Pathyris enclosed by the town’s peristasis (a boundary or enclosing zone, often interpreted as the town wall, separating the settlement from the surrounding plain; see Vandorpe and Waebens 2009: 21–22).
The database includes topographical information relating to quarters, private properties, structures such as the temple and the fortress, as well as the street network and bodies of water. The urban area of Pathyris was concentrated primarily on the summit of the East Mountain of Gebelein, where the temple precinct and the fortress were located, and on its western slope, where houses, vacant plots, and pigeon-houses were situated. However, other properties were located on the plain at the foot of the hill, within the town peristasis. Among them, one can identify a limited number of houses, concentrated primarily in the area known as the Well in the Eastern quarter; vacant plots, particularly in the South-Western quarter; and cultivable land situated within the peristasis, consisting mainly of palm groves and vineyards attested in the Eastern and Northern quarters of Pathyris.
Documentary sources from Pathyris contain numerous references to agricultural land, water bodies, dams, and other landmarks located on the surrounding plain beyond the town’s peristasis. Such locations have been excluded from the database because they fall outside the urban centre.
This decision reflects the primary objective of the Ptolemaic Pathyris Project: the reconstruction of the urban layout and architecture of Pathyris rather than of the wider Gebelein micro-region in the Ptolemaic period. Consequently, only topographical and architectural information relating to locations situated within the urban area has been included.
Data Collection Methodology
Data collection was carried out across the following stages:
Initial Survey: All documents written in or discovered at Pathyris were subjected to an initial screening on the basis of an exported list from Trismegistos comprising more than 1,500 texts. The aim of this stage was to identify documents containing topographical and/or architectural terminology.
Filtering for the Urban Centre: Documents containing relevant terminology were subsequently evaluated, and only those referring specifically to locations within the urban area of Pathyris were selected. In documents containing topographical information relating both to the town and to the surrounding plain (most commonly testaments and property-division documents), only data concerning locations situated within the town’s peristasis were included.
Final Document Corpus: Following this multi-stage selection process, a corpus of 82 documents was established for inclusion in the database.
Data Extraction and Record Creation: Each selected document was systematically examined to identify and contextualise all topographical and architectural information it contained. Rather than treating the document as the basic unit, the database records each individual reference to a specific location, property, street, landmark, or other topographical or architectural feature as a separate entry. As a result, a single document may give rise to multiple records, depending on the quantity and character of the information preserved. In total, the 82 selected documents generated 374 database records, each of them representing a single topographical or architectural reference extracted from a source document.
The records can be divided into three principal categories:
Location Records – records identifying the position of a property or other topographical feature within Pathyris, whether by reference to an urban quarter or by its position within the town’s peristasis, the temple enclosure, or the fortress.
Property Records – records relating to the principal property that forms the subject of the document (e.g. a property being sold, divided, leased, inherited, or otherwise transferred). These constitute the most detailed category of entries and include, whenever available in the source document, information on the parties involved in the transaction, the property category, its dimensions and position, sale price, tax, and, particularly in the case of houses, descriptions of individual architectural elements or components.
Neighbour Records – records identifying properties and other features bordering the principal property, including private properties (houses, vacant plots, pastophoria, palm groves, etc.), together with their owners’ names, as well as streets, walls, bodies of water, and other topographical features. In accordance with Egyptian documentary practice, properties were normally identified by their neighbours on all four sides. The surviving evidence, however, is not always complete: parts of a text may be lost, and the same neighbouring property may border the principal property on more than one side. Such cases were recorded as attested in the source, without imposing an artificially uniform spatial description.
Document Sources
The database is primarily based on published editions of Greek and Demotic documentary texts from Pathyris.
In a limited number of cases, the database also incorporates information derived from unpublished scholarly research made available to the authors through academic collaboration.
These include:
unpublished PhD dissertation by Siân E. Thomas, made available to the database author through a version obtained from the Cambridge University Library.
unpublished material kindly shared by Cary Martin;
unpublished material kindly shared by Mariantonietta Pascalicchio;
unpublished new readings of two P. Stras. Dem. documents by Sven Vleeming, made available through Katelijn Vandorpe.
Where applicable, the database also incorporates proposed corrections to published text readings that have not yet appeared in the Berichtigungsliste der Griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Ägypten (BL), A Berichtigungsliste of Demotic Documents, papyri.info, or any other published source.
In all such cases, the authorship and provenance of the proposed reading or interpretation are explicitly acknowledged in the Additional Information field of the corresponding database record, allowing unpublished and revised material to be incorporated while preserving its scholarly provenance.
The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to the scholars who generously granted access to their research.
Database Structure
The database offers two complementary levels of access to its contents: the Main Table View, which presents the principal fields for the dataset as a whole in tabular form, and the Record Details View, which provides more detailed information for each individual record, displayed in a row-based format.
Main Table View
The default Main Table View presents all records in a searchable table containing the following columns:
| Field | Description |
| Document | Documentary source in which the topographical reference occurs, cited according to the conventions of the Checklist of Editions of Greek, Latin, Demotic and Coptic Papyri, Ostraca and Tablets (https://papyri.info/docs/checklist). For documents lacking standard checklist abbreviations, references follow the citation conventions adopted by Trismegistos. |
| TM Link | Link to the corresponding Trismegistos Text record. |
| Date | Date of the document following the Trismegistos database. Where a document contains more than one date, as is frequently the case with sale contracts and the tax receipts associated with them, only the date of the principal document is recorded. |
| Language | Language of the source document (Greek, Demotic, Greek + Demotic). |
| Location | Area of the town to which the record refers. Two principal methods of spatial designation occur in the sources: references to urban quarters and references to location within enclosing structures, such as the temple enclosure, the fortress, or the peristasis. Where the precise location is not specified in the source or may have been contained in a lost portion of the text, the values “Not given” and “Lost”, respectively, are used. |
| Original Term | Original Greek or Demotic wording, accompanied by references to the relevant lines of the source document. Where a text is divided into columns, line references are preceded by the column number indicated by a lower-case Roman numeral (e.g. i, ii, iii). Fragment numbers are also indicated whenever relevant, following the conventions adopted in the published edition. Texts are cited in their original form as presented in the editions, including scribal errors, lacunae, editorial restorations, and expanded abbreviations. Greek texts follow the readings provided by papyri.info. Demotic texts, which are not currently available in digital form, were transcribed from printed editions. Their transliteration has been standardised according to the conventions adopted in A Berichtigungsliste of Demotic Documents, thereby eliminating differences between individual editors. Demotic transliterations were reviewed by Mariantonietta Pascalicchio, to whom the database authors are grateful for her assistance. Only those portions of the text relevant to the identification of properties, locations, owners, neighbours, or other topographical features are reproduced. For records relating to properties that constitute the subject of a transaction, the cited passages may additionally include information concerning e.g. dimensions, price, mode of division, previous owners, purchasers, and sellers. Lengthy descriptions of individuals, such as their age, complexion, or other personal characteristics, have generally been omitted and replaced with (...). Information relating to occupation, legal status, or representation by a guardian has, however, been retained whenever present. Where the same information occurs multiple times within a single document, all relevant passages are cited within the same record, together with their respective line references. |
| Translation | English translation of the original passage. Where available, existing English translations have been used and revised where necessary to ensure consistent terminology throughout the database. Passages for which no published English translation exists have been translated specifically for the database by its authors. Restored and omitted portions of the text are indicated according to the conventions used in the original-language citations. Line references are not repeated in this field. Where translations derive from several non-contiguous passages of the same document, the individual segments are separated by semicolons (;). Greek and Egyptian personal names and places follow the transliteration conventions adopted by Trismegistos, even where these differ slightly from more traditional spellings. Trismegistos People (TM Per) and Trismegistos Places (TM Geo) identifiers are also provided in this field whenever available. Where the original wording refers indirectly to an individual (e.g. “his property” or “her house”), the database authors have supplied the relevant name in square brackets [ ] to make the identification explicit. |
| Category | Classification of the topographical or architectural feature. Categories include: Archeion, Body of water, Courtyard, Fortress, Hill, House, Island land, Land, Palm grove, Pastophorion, Peristasis, Pigeon-house, Quarter, Street network, Tainia, Temple or part of it, Unknown property, Vacant plot, Wall, Watchtower. For Courtyard, Island land, Land, House, Palm grove, Pastophorion, Pigeon-house, Unknown property, Vacant plot, the category further specifies in parentheses whether the feature occurs as the principal subject of the document or as a neighbouring property. Where the feature constitutes the principal subject, the type of transaction (e.g. sale, lease, division, testament) is indicated. More than one category can be assigned to a single record. Categories are intended to facilitate the identification and retrieval of records relevant to particular research interests. |
Record Details
Selecting a record opens a Record Details View containing further details about the record. Unlike the Main Table View, fields are displayed individually in a row-based format rather than in a table.
The detailed view contains all fields available in the Main Table View (Document, TM Link, Date, Language, Location, Original Term, Translation, and Category), together with the following additional fields:
Inventory Number
A stable unique numeric identifier assigned to each record. Records derived from the same document share the same initial number, followed by a sequential suffix (e.g. 15.1, 15.2, 15.3). This system maintains the links between records derived from the same document while assigning each entry its own unique identifier.
Additional Information
Contains contextual, bibliographical, prosopographical, and interpretative remarks relevant to understanding the record that cannot be adequately accommodated within the more structured fields.
Depending on the nature of the entry, this field may include:
dimensions of property, where recorded in the source document, together with their conversion into square metres;
property price, where specified in the source;
tax, where specified in the source;
references to the same property or topographical feature occurring elsewhere in the database, including document sigla and cross-references through Inventory Numbers;
additional information concerning individuals mentioned in the record;
authorship of proposed readings and translations for unpublished texts or textual corrections;
information on duplicate documents;
notes on the absence of Trismegistos People (TM Per) identifiers;
additional observations concerning the property or its location;
references to scholarly publications relevant to the interpretation of the document, property, or terminology.
References are cited in abbreviated form (Author, Year, Page(s)). The following publications are cited in this field:
Grieshaber 2004: Grieshaber F., Lexikographie einer Landschaft: Beiträge zur historischen Topographie Oberägyptens zwischen Theben und Gabal as-Silsila anhand demotischer und griechischer Quellen, Wiesbaden 2004.
Kaplony-Heckel 1963: Kaplony-Heckel U., Die demotischen Gebelen-Urkunden der Heidelberger Papyrus-Sammlung, Heidelberg 1963.
Kaplony-Heckel 1972: Kaplony-Heckel U., Eid, demot., [in:] Lexikon der Ägyptologie, Vol. I, Wiesbaden 1972, col. 1200–1204.
Messeri Savorelli 1990: Messeri Savorelli G., Un nuovo documento dell'archivio di Horos figlio di Nechutes, Analecta Papirologia 2 (1990), pp. 53–62.
Pestman 1963: Pestman P.W., A proposito dei documenti di Pathyris I, Aegyptus 43 no. 1/2 (1963), pp. 10–14.
Pestman 1965: Pestman P.W., Les archives privées de Pathyris à l'époque ptolémaïque. La famille de Pétéharsemtheus, fils de Panebkhounis, [in:] Pestman P.W., Sijpesteijn P.J. (Eds), Studia Papyrologica Varia (P.L.Bat. 14), Leiden 1965, pp. 47–105.
Pestman 1969: Pestman P.W., A Greek Testament from Pathyris (P. Lond. inv. 2850), JEA 55 (1969), pp. 129–160.
Pestman 1981: Pestman P.W., Nahomsesis, una donna d’affari di Pathyris. L’archivio bilingue di Pelaias, figlio di Eunus, [in:] Bresciani E., Geraci G., Pernigotti S., Susini G. (Eds), Scritti in onore di Orsolina Montevecchi, Bologna 1981, pp. 295–315.
Skalec forthcoming: Skalec A., Pȝ šy/Κρήνη at Pathyris and the Town’s Water Supply: Perspectives on Research, BIFAO 127 (2027).
Thomas 2009: Thomas S.E., Ptolemaic Gebelein: an Exploration of Legal, Social and Topographical Themes Based on Unpublished Documents for Money and Cessions in the British Museum, PhD Thesis, University of Cambridge 2009.
Thomas 2015: Thomas S.E., A Pathyrite Bath-House, Egyptian Water Law and ‘Right of Way’, [in:] Haikal F. (Ed.), Mélanges offerts à Ola el-Aguizy, Cairo 2015, pp. 419–431.
Vandorpe and Vleeming 2017: Vandorpe K., Vleeming S.P., The Erbstreit Papyri: A Bilingual Dossier from Pathyris of the Second Century BC: A Bilingual Dossier from Pathyris of the Second Century BC (P. Erbstreit), Leuven 2017.
Vandorpe and Waebens 2009: Vandorpe K., Waebens S., Reconstructing Pathyris’ Archives. A Multicultural Community in Hellenistic Egypt (Collectanea Hellenistica 3), Brussels 2009.
Vierros 2018: Vierros M., Copying Practices in Ptolemaic Egypt: A Discussion Based on Greek Agoranomic Contracts from Pathyris, Tyche 33 (2018), pp. 207–230.
Zauzich 1980: Zauzich K.-Th., Temenoute, Enchoria 10 (1980), pp. 191–192.
Tags
Keywords and labels assigned to individual records.
The Tags field facilitates thematic cross-referencing and improves the searchability and discoverability of the database without requiring the creation of additional database fields. Tags enable users to identify and retrieve records related to specific topics quickly.
In addition to keywords derived from the Translation field, tags may include information concerning:
the material of the document (e.g. papyrus, ostracon);
the document type (e.g. sale, division, lease, testament);
whether the document belongs to one of the Pathyris’ archives;
the presence e.g. of man, woman, son, daughter, brother, siblings, wife or kyrios;
professions, occupations, or social status of individuals mentioned in the record (e.g. soldier, priest).
Creator
Author of the database record:
AS = Aneta Skalec
LS = Łukasz Suski
Date of Creation
Date on which the record was created.
Integration with Trismegistos
The database was designed according to the principle of maximum interoperability and is closely integrated with the Trismegistos (TM, www.trismegistos.org) platform through stable permalinks to Trismegistos identifiers (https://www.trismegistos.org/about_how_to_cite.php). These identifiers are provided whenever available and allow users to access additional information maintained by the Trismegistos project.
The following types of Trismegistos identifiers are incorporated into the database:
Trismegistos Texts (TM, www.trismegistos.org/tm/index.php) – provided for every record in the TM Link field and linking directly to the corresponding text record in Trismegistos.
Trismegistos People (TM Per, www.trismegistos.org/ref/index.php) – provided in the Translation field whenever a personal name occurs and a corresponding identifier exists in Trismegistos. When the same individual appears multiple times within a single record, the TM Per is provided only at the first occurrence. Identifiers are assigned only to the individual concerned and not to relatives mentioned as part of the identification formula (e.g. father, grandfather, or mother). The identifier is normally supplied after the individual's complete identification as given in the source text (e.g. after personal name and patronymic, or personal name, patronymic, and matronymic). As not all individuals mentioned in the documents have been assigned a TM Per number, identifiers are provided only where available.
Trismegistos Places (TM Geo, www.trismegistos.org/geo/index.php) – provided in the Translation field whenever a place name occurs and has been assigned a Trismegistos geographical identifier. Not all places included in the database currently possess a TM Geo number.
Trismegistos Archives (TM Arch, www.trismegistos.org/arch/index.php) – provided in the Tags field whenever the document belongs to one of the Pathyris’ archives (https://www.trismegistos.org/arch/about.php#archives-project).
The use of Trismegistos identifiers not only ensures interoperability with other digital papyrological resources but also reduces the need to duplicate metadata already available through Trismegistos. Consequently, the metadata recorded in the Pathyris Topography Database have been intentionally limited to essential information, namely the document sigla and its date. Additional metadata can be accessed directly through the corresponding Trismegistos records.
Search and Navigation
The database offers several complementary search tools.
Chronological Filter
A slider enables users to select a chronological range.
Since all documents included in the database belong to the Ptolemaic period, only BC dates are available.
Language Filter
Records may be filtered according to the language of the source document.
Location Filter
Records may be filtered according to the location of topographic features within the urban area of Pathyris.
Category Filter
Records may be filtered by the category assigned to each entry, enabling users to focus on specific types of topographical or architectural features.
Tag Filter
Records may also be explored through thematic tags, enabling users to identify groups of related entries across multiple documents.
Full-Text Search
The general search field performs a full-text search across all database content, including the original Greek and Demotic texts. This function allows users to retrieve records using any word or phrase occurring anywhere within the database.
Combined searches using multiple filters and multiple tags are available. This functionality allows users to refine their searches by combining different types of criteria and thereby identify specific groups of records within the dataset. It facilitates more targeted queries and enables users to identify patterns and connections that may not be apparent when searching by a single criterion.
Authorship
Database concept and scientific supervision
Aneta Skalec
Database records
Aneta Skalec
Łukasz Suski
Website design and implementation
Jerzy de Mezer
Recommended Citation
Skalec, A., Suski, Ł. Pathyris Topography Database. Ptolemaic Pathyris Project (NCN Polonez Bis 2, 2022/45/P/HS3/01807). Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Polish Academy of Sciences. Available at: https://db.pathyris.iksio.pan.pl/. Accessed: [date].
Copyright and Licence
All contents of the database, including individual records and query results, are distributed under the terms of the:
Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Users are free to share and adapt the material provided that appropriate attribution is given, the material is not used for commercial purposes, and derivative works are distributed under the same licence terms.
Funding Statement
This research
is part of the project No. 2022/45/P/HS3/01807 co-funded by the National
Science Centre and the European Union’s Horizon
2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie
grant agreement no. 945339.