Book Chapter
Reference
P.Gen. inv. 512 : List of the Parts of the Forearm and Hand
SCHUBERT, Paul
Abstract
Papyrus médical contenant la description des os de la main.
SCHUBERT, Paul. P.Gen. inv. 512 : List of the Parts of the Forearm and Hand. In: Ast, R. ; Cuvigny, H. & Hickey, T.M. Papyrological texts in honor of Roger S. Bagnall . Durham : American Society of Papyrologists, 2013. p. 295-298
Available at:
http://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:36781
Disclaimer: layout of this document may differ from the published version.
1 / 1
PAPYROLOGICAL TEXTS IN HONOR OF ROGER S. BAGNALL
Edited by
Rodney Ast, Hélène Cuvigny, Todd M. Hickey, and Julia Lougovaya
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PAPYROLOGISTS
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Papyrological Texts in Honor of Roger S. Bagnall Edited by
Rodney Ast, Hélène Cuvigny, Todd M. Hickey, and Julia Lougovaya
© 2012
The American Society of Papyrologists
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Papyrological texts in honor of Roger S. Bagnall / edited by Rodney Ast, Hélène Cuvigny, Todd M.
Hickey, and Julia Lougovaya.
pages cm. -- (American Studies in Papyrology ; volume 53)
ISBN 978-0-9799758-6-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) -- ISBN 0-9799758-6-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Manuscripts, Classical (Papyri) 2. Classical literature--Criticism, Textual. 3. Classical
languages--Texts. I. Ast, Rodney. II. Cuvigny, Hélène. III. Hickey, Todd Michael. IV. Lougovaya, Julia. V. Bagnall, Roger S.
PA3339.P37 2012 930--dc23
2012038169
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EDITORS’ PREFACE
vAPPRECIATION (by Deborah W. Hobson)
viiTABLE OF CONTENTS
ixLIST OF PAPYRI
xii1 Frammento medico con elenco di sintomi 1
Isabella Andorlini
2 Schedule of Work Days 9
Rodney Ast
3 Remains of an agnitio bonorum possessionis: P.Duk. inv. 466 17 Jean-Jacques Aubert
4 Gemellos and His Animal Farm: Full Edition of P.Fay.253 descr. 21 Giuseppina Azzarello and Fabian Reiter
5 Versione in greco di un testamento romano 31
Guido Bastianini
6 Récupération d’outils de briquetiers 37
Jean Bingen †
7 Letter about Court Proceedings and Agricultural Matters 41 Alan K. Bowman
8 Translation of a Letter of the praefectus Aegypti 47
Adam Bülow-Jacobsen
9 A Ptolemaic Register of Unused Land in the Arsinoite Nome 53 Willy Clarysse
10 A List of Words of Christian Origin from the Kelsey Museum 61 Raffaella Cribiore
11–12 Conductor praesidii 67
Hélène Cuvigny
13 P.Qasr Ibrim inv. 80/1: A Testimony to Zenodotos’ Edition of the Iliad? 75 Tomasz Derda and Adam Łajtar
14–25 Neue Dokumente zur Salzsteuer in Elephantine 79
Ruth Duttenhöfer
26 Le poète Dioscore d’Aphrodité à l’œuvre : une première version
de P.Aphrod.Lit. IV 18, enkômion d’adventus du duc Kallinikos 97 Jean-Luc Fournet
27 Plainte au praeses Simplicius 107
Jean Gascou
28 Register of Requisitions 115
Nikolaos Gonis
29–31 Drei dokumentarische Papyri aus der Hamburger Sammlung 119 Dieter Hagedorn und Bärbel Kramer
Table of Contents
x
32 Report under Oath to Apollonios the Strategos: P.CtYBR inv. 4079 133 Ann Ellis Hanson
33 A Labor Contract for a pronoētēs (P.Lond. inv. 2219) 141 Todd M. Hickey and James G. Keenan
34 Maternal Division of Housed Property near the Temples of Memphis 149 Francisca A. J. Hoogendijk
35 P.Cornell inv. 69 Revisited: A Collection of Geometrical Problems 159 Alexander Jones
36 Beeidete Erklärung über die Umbuchung adärierter Naubien 177 Andrea Jördens
37 New Epigrams 187
Julia Lougovaya
38 Copy of a Census Declaration from Oxyrhynchus 191
AnneMarie Luijendijk
39 Coptic Letter 197
Leslie S. B. MacCoull
40 Invocation 201
Alain Martin
41 Grammatical Text: A Treatise on the Declension of Nouns 203 Kathleen McNamee
42 Rules of an Association of Soknebtunis 209
Andrew Monson
43 A Fourth-Century Inventory of Columns and the Late Roman Building Industry 215 Arietta Papaconstantinou
44 Brief über kirchliche Angelegenheiten 233
Amphilochios Papathomas
45 Rapporto allo stratego (MS 1802/38) 241
Rosario Pintaudi
46 A Reconstructed Land Survey from Kerkeosiris 243
Dominic Rathbone, Dorothy J. Thompson, and Arthur Verhoogt
47 A Draft of a Rider to a Cession Contract 267
David M. Ratzan
48 A New Fragment of a Techne grammatike (P.Mich. inv. 30) 277
Timothy Renner
49 O.BM EA 20300: In Search of the Latest Dated Demotic Ostrakon 285 Tonio Sebastian Richter
50 Letter from Philotas to His Brother Dioscourides:
Philotas, a Black Sheep in a High-Class Family? 291
Cornelia Römer
51 List of the Parts of the Forearm and Hand 295
Paul Schubert
52 Order for Delivery of Wheat and Lentils 299
Jennifer Sheridan Moss
Table of Contents
xi
53 An Arabic Land Lease from Ṭuṭu̅n 301
Petra M. Sijpesteijn
54 Payment Record 307
Timothy Teeter
55 Letter from Theophanes to Anysios 311
J. David Thomas
56 A Census Return from Hermopolis from AD 189 317
Peter van Minnen
57 A Saite Book of the Dead Fragment in the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology 325 Terry G. Wilfong
58–69 Greek Ostraka from the Mut Precinct, South Karnak 331 Klaas A. Worp, with a preface by Richard Fazzini
70 P.Col. inv. 33r and the Processing of Data in Early Roman Egypt 349 Uri Yiftach-Firanko
INDICES
A. Greek Non-Documentary Texts 355
B. Greek Documentary Texts 360
I. Rulers
II. Consuls
III. Indictions and Eras
IV. Months and Days
V. Dates
VI. Personal Names
VII. Geographical
VIII. Religion
IX. Official and Military Terms and Titles Χ. Professions, Trades and Occupations
XI. Measures and Money
XII. Taxes
XIII. General Index of Words
C. Latin Documentary Text 378
I. Personal Names
II. Geographical
III. Official and Military Terms and Titles IV. General Index of Words
LIST OF TEXTS
*Non-Documentary
57 Saite Book of the Dead T. G. Wilfong ca. 630 BCE Western Thebes 325
37 Epigrams J. Lougovaya mid II BCE Arsinoites (?) 187
13 Homeric Quotation T. Derda and A. Łajtar 22–21 BCE (?) Qasr Ibrim 75 64 School Text (?) K. A. Worp late I–early II Thebes (South
Karnak)
341
1 Frammento medico I. Andorlini I–II ignota 1
35 Geometrical Problems A. Jones II unknown 159
41 Grammatical Text K. McNamee II unknown 203
51 Lexicographical Text P. Schubert III unknown 295
48 Grammatical Text T. Renner III–IV unknown 277
10 School Text R. Cribiore IV Thebes (?) 61
26 Enkômion d’adventus du duc Kallinikos
J.-L. Fournet 567 ou 568 Aphrodité 97
Documentary
14–25 Quittungen für Salzsteuer, Myropsike und Syeniton logeia
R. Duttenhöfer 18.6.251 (14);
11.7.251 (15);
2.12.247 (16);
21.12.245 (17);
5.7.223 (18);
14.3.222 (19);
18.3.222 (20);
8.5.221 (21);
15.4.–14.5.219 (22);
1.7.217 (23);
4.3.211 (24);
212–211 (25) (sämtlich v.Chr.)
Elephantine 85
42 Rules of an Association A. Monson ca. 250–210 BCE Tebtunis 209 9 Register of Unproductive
Land
W. Clarysse early II BCE Arsinoite 53
46 Land Survey D. Rathbone, D. J. Thompson, A. Verhoogt
119 BCE,September Kerkeosiris 243
50 Private Letter C. Römer II BCE, July–early September
unknown 291
67 Contract (?) K. A. Worp ca. 10/11 Thebes (South
Karnak)
346
* All dates are CE unless otherwise indicated.
List of Texts
xiii 58–63,
65–66
Tax Receipts (for Bath, Dyke and Poll Taxes)
K. A. Worp 22.8.29 (58);
1.6.34 (59); late I BCE–early I (60);
1.5.22(61);
9.4.23(62);
23/24(63);
19 or 20 or 23.2.127 (65); 130–150 (66);
Thebes (South Karnak)
334
6 Récupération d’outils de briquetiers
J. Bingen† vers la 2e m. du Ier s. Arsinoïte (?) 37 11 Reçu pour des marsippoi H. Cuvigny 24 juillet 96 Xèron 68
68–69 Descripta K. A. Worp I (?) Thebes (South
Karnak)
347 4 Account of Oxen G. Azzarello and
F. Reiter
late I–early II Fayum 21 47 Rider to a Cession Contract D. M. Ratzan I–II Oxyrhynchite 267 49 Acknowledgements of Debt T. S. Richter I–II Theban area (?) 285 34 Property Division F. A. J. Hoogendijk I–II Memphis 149
12 Lettre d’une femme H. Cuvigny 115–130 Xèron 70
32 Report to the strategos A. E. Hanson ca. 116/117 Apollonopolite Heptakomias
133 31 Auszug aus einem
diastroma
D. Hagedorn and B. Kramer
nach 138 Ptolemais Euergetis
128 30 Penthemeros-Quittung D. Hagedorn and
B. Kramer
26. Juni 158 Theadelphia 126 38 Census Declaration A. Luijendijk 174 (?) Oxyrhynchus 191 8 Translation of a Letter of
the praefectus Aegypti
A. Bülow-Jacobsen 186–187 Mons Claudianus
47
56 Census Return P. van Minnen 189 Hermopolis 317
29 Bericht über einen Gefangenentransport
D. Hagedorn and B. Kramer
Ende II. / Anf. III. Jh.
(vor 212)
Diopolites parvus (Thebais)
119 7 Private Letter about Court
Proceedings
A. K. Bowman II/III (?) Arsinoite Nome (?)
41 3 Agnitio bonorum
possessionis
J.-J. Aubert 212 or later (perhaps 239)
Oxyrhynchus 17 5 Frammento di testamento G. Bastianini 28.9.213 Ossirinco 31 45 Rapporto allo stratego R. Pintaudi 27/28 nov.–26/27
dic., 229–234
Ossirinco 241 70 Register of Letters U. Yiftach-Firanko 6.–25.5.232 Arsinoitês 349 55 Letter from the Theophanes
Archive
J. D. Thomas early IV Hermopolis 311
List of Texts
xiv
43 Inventory of Columns A. Papaconstantinou second quarter of IV or later
Arsinoe or Oxyrhynchus
215 36 Beeidete Erklärung über
die Umbuchung adärierter Naubien
A. Jördens 347 Oxyrhynchos 177
27 Plainte au praeses J. Gascou vers 397–398 Hermopolis 107 52 Order for Delivery J. Sheridan Moss late IV unknown 299
2 Work Schedule R. Ast IV (?) Oxyrhynchite 9
33 Labor Contract for a pronoētēs
T. M. Hickey and J. G. Keenan
June 11, 496 Oxyrhynchus 141
54 Record of Payment T. Teeter VI–VII unknown 307
44 Brief über kirchliche Angelegenheiten
A. Papathomas VI–VII unbekannt 233
39 Coptic Letter L. S. B. MacCoull VII (?) Middle Egypt (?) 197 40 Invocation A. Martin 2e m. du VIIe s. ou
début du VIIIe s.
Fayoum 201 28 Register of Requisitions N. Gonis early VIII Aphrodito 115 53 Arabic Lease of Land P. M. Sijpesteijn 24.7–23.8.860 Fayum 301
51. List of the Parts of the Forearm and Hand
∗Paul Schubert
P.Gen. inv. 512 8.5 x 7 cm III
Provenance unknown
This fragment was acquired either by the egyptologist Édouard Naville on behalf of the hellenist Jules Nicole around 1892, or by Jules Nicole himself in Cairo during his visit in 1896–1897.1 We have no precise record of the purchase. There are some slight remains of a first column of text, followed by a second column, the left three fifths of which are preserved. The top is missing; at the bottom, a narrow margin suggests that the text is complete. The writing, a practiced uncial with some cursive elements in it, in charcoal ink, dates from the third century.2 The extant text is divided into sections which have been marked with ὀβελοί (i.e. forked παράγραφοι, lines 3/4 and 10). These few lines display a rather high proportion of spelling mistakes: θ̣αρ̣ϲό̣[ϲ for ταρϲόϲ (3), μεικ̣ρόϲ for μικρόϲ (5), φ̣άλ̣[αγ]|γ̣ε for φάλαγγεϲ (8–9), ϲκυδαλ[ί]δεϲ for ϲκυταλίδεϲ (9), ἄθρα for ἄρθρα (9), [ῥιζω|ν]υ̣χί̣αιϲ for ῥιζωνυχίαι (9–10). This must have been a somewhat careless or incompetent copyist. The back of the papyrus is blank.
The preserved portion of the papyrus contains two sections, each clearly marked by an ὀβελόϲ.
In the first section (1–3), the title of which is lost, we find a list of the bones of the forearm. Lines 5–12 consist of a list of fingers and of parts of fingers, made explicit by the presence of a title in line 4 (δά̣κ̣τ̣υ̣λ̣[οι]). This papyrus fragment was presumably part of a more complete catalogue, which may have extended to the parts of the whole human body.
This kind of nomenclature can be compared with two parallels from authors who were active in Egypt in the second century, namely the medical writer Rufus of Ephesus and the grammarian Pollux (passages provided below, after the text of the papyrus). It is worth underlining the fact that Rufus lists the parts of the body from a medical perspective: his aim is to teach a prospective student how to treat the body. Pollux, on the other hand, is collecting the nomenclature of the body parts among many other items that seem interesting to him as a man of learning and a lover of the Greek language—especially Attic.
There are other papyrus fragments of similar content. Some texts published at an earlier date are to be found in M.-H. Marganne’s Index analytique des papyrus grecs de médecine (Genève 1981), which is supplemented for the papyri published at a later date by the CEDOPAL database (MP3).3
Date Marganne MP3 Contents
P.Iand. V 82 II/I BCE 95 2345 Treatise on the genital system and kidneys.
P.Genova II 514 I 184 2345.2 On the bones.
PSI XII 1275 II 165 2345.1 List of parts of the body: head.
P.Oxy. LXXIV 4974 II/III - - - 2345.21 On the bones: joints.
P.Mich. XVIII 762B III - - - 2345.01 Names of the parts of the body.
∗ Many thanks to Rodney Ast and Hélène Cuvigny for their careful reading of a first version of this edition, and for saving me from some embarrassing blunders.
1 See B. Roth-Lochner (on the basis of a transcript by M. Nicole), “Un voyage en Égypte (1896–1897). Extrait des souvenirs d’Albert Nicole,” in Voyages en Égypte de l’antiquité au début du XXe siècle (Geneva 2003) 245–258.
2 For stylistic parallels, see e.g. P.Oxy. LXIX 4746 (pl. XIV; AD 244–249); P.Gen. IV 166, 13–15 (pl. XXIX; AD 267);
P.Oxy. LXVI 4543 (pl. XX; late III).
3 www2.ulg.ac.be/facphl/services/cedopal
4 Revised edition by I. Andorlini in V. Boudon-Millot (et alii), Ecdotica e ricezione dei testi medici greci. Atti del V Con- vegno Internazionale, Napoli, 1-2 ottobre 2004 (Napoli 2006) 83–91.
Paul Schubert 296
Referring to the editor of P.Iand. V 82, Marganne (172) recalls the resemblance between this papyrus, which dates back to the Ptolemaic period, and Rufus’s treatise On the Parts of the Body, written in the Roman period. This is consistent with the general idea that Rufus, like many scholars of his time in other fields of learning, would have drawn much of his knowledge from the work of his predecessors, who were active under the Ptolemies and whose writings have been for the most part lost. In the case of our papyrus, on the other hand, much the reverse seems to have happened: either the copyist was following some digest of Rufus’s treatise, or more probably both he and Rufus (and Pollux) were drawing from a common background, now lost. We know for instance that Herophilus, who was active in Alexandria in the first part of the third century BCE, wrote on the nomenclature of the bones (see below, note on line 2).
At a more advanced level of medical training, knowledge of the nomenclature would be implicit, as for example in the following passage of Galen’s treatise De anatomicis administrationibus (vol. II p. 318 [Kühn]): πολλάκιϲ γὰρ ὁ ἕτεροϲ αὐτῶν μῦϲ τόν θ᾿ οἷον λιχανὸν καὶ τὸν μικρὸν δάκτυλον, ὁ δ᾿ ἕτεροϲ τὸν μέϲον καὶ τὸν παράμεϲον, ἀμφότεροι δὲ κοιναῖϲ ἀποφύϲεϲιν ἑνωθέντεϲ τὸν μέγαν κινοῦϲιν, “For often one of the muscles (moves), for example, the index and the little finger, whereas the other moves the middle and the ring fingers, but both muscles joined together by common apophyses move the thumb.” In order to understand such a passage, a prospective student of medicine had to learn first the names of the precise words used to describe the parts of the body.
Diplomatic transcription
→ col. i
illegible traces col. ii
- - - κ̣ ̣[ ̣] ̣ ̣ ̣[
χυ̣ϲκ̣ερκ ̣[ ̣]κα̣ρπ̣[
πιονοιδεθ̣αρ̣ϲο̣[
>––––––––
4 δα̣κ̣ ̣ ̣λ̣[
μεικ̣ροϲπαρα̣μ ̣[
[ ̣]ι̣χανοϲμεγαϲ[
[ ̣ ̣] ̣καλειταιμ[ ̣ ̣]α̣ ̣[
8 [ ̣] ̣οικ ̣[ ̣ ̣]υ̣ ̣ο̣ι̣φ̣α ̣[
̣εϲκυδαλ[ ̣] ̣εϲαθρα[
[ ̣] ̣χι̣αιϲον̣ ̣ ̣ε̣ϲκορ̣[
[>]––––––––
Text
col. ii
- - -
κ̣ ̣[ ̣] ̣ ̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ πῆ-]
χυϲ, κ̣ερκί̣[ϲ], κα̣ρπ̣[όϲ, μετακάρ-]
πιον, οἱ δὲ θ̣αρ̣ϲό̣[ϲ. ] >––––––––
4 δά̣κ̣τ̣υ̣λ̣[οι ]
μεικ̣ρόϲ, παρά̣με̣[ϲοϲ, μέϲοϲ,]
[λ]ι̣χανόϲ, μέγαϲ. [τὰ δὲ ϲτοι-]
[χεῖ]α̣ καλεῖται μ[ετ]α̣κ̣[όν-]
8 [δυ]λ̣οι, κό̣[νδ]υ̣λ̣ο̣ι̣, φ̣άλ̣[αγ-]
γ̣ε<ϲ>, ϲκυδαλ[ί]δ̣εϲ, ἄ<ρ>θρα, [ῥιζω-]
[ν]υ̣χί̣αι{ϲ}, ὄν̣υ̣χ̣ε̣ϲ, κορ̣[υφαί.]
[>]–––––––
3 l. ταρϲόϲ 5 l. μικρόϲ 9 l. ϲκυταλίδεϲ
(…) forearm [ulna], shuttle [radius], carpus, metakarpion, some (say) the tarsus.
Fingers
Little (finger), next to middle [ring finger], middle finger, licker [index], large [thumb]. The parts are called back-knuckles, knuckles, phalanges, finger-bones, joints, roots of the nails, nails, finger-tips.
51. List of the Parts of the Forearm and Hand 297 Parallel Texts
Rufus, On the Parts of the Body 80–86
τῶν δὲ ὀϲτῶν τοῦ ἀγκῶνοϲ, τὸ μὲν ὑποτεταγμένον, πῆχυϲ, τὸ δὲ ἐπικείμενον, κερκίϲ· περαίνει δὲ ταῦτα πρὸϲ τὸν καρπόν. τὸ δὲ ἐφεξῆϲ τοῦ καρποῦ πλατὺ καὶ ϲυμφυέϲ, μετακάρπιον, καὶ ταρϲόϲ·
εἶτα δάκτυλοι. χεὶρ δὲ τὸ ὅλον ἀπὸ τοῦ ὤμου καὶ ᾧ κρατοῦμεν. δακτύλων δὲ ὁ μέν τιϲ μέγαϲ, ἀφεϲτηκὼϲ τῶν ἄλλων· ὁ δὲ λιχανόϲ, ὁ πρῶτοϲ τῶν τεϲϲάρων· ὁ δὲ μέϲοϲ, ὁ δὲ παράμεϲοϲ, ὁ δὲ μικρόϲ. τὰ δὲ ὀϲτᾶ αὐτῶν, ϲκυταλίδεϲ καὶ φάλαγγεϲ· τὰ δὲ πρῶτα ἄρθρα προκόνδυλοι, τὰ δὲ ἐφεξῆϲ κόνδυλοι, τὰ δὲ τελευταῖα μετα- κόνδυλοι. αἱ δὲ τῶν ὀνύχων ἀρχαί, ῥιζωνύχια·
τὰ δὲ ἔϲωθεν πέρατα τῶν δακτύλων, ῥᾶγεϲ, καὶ κορυφαί.
Among the bones of the forearm, the lower one is the ulna, the upper one is the shuttle [radius]; those two extend to the wrist. The part following the wrist is broad and compact; (then) the metacarpus and the palm;5 then the fingers. Cheir applies to the whole (limb) starting from the shoulder, and by which we hold (things). Among the fingers, one is called the “large one” [thumb], which is separated from the others; then the “licker” [index], the first of the (remaining) four; then the “middle finger,”
the “next to middle” [ring finger], the “little finger.”
Their bones are the “finger-bones” and “phalanges.”
The first joints are the “fore-knuckles,” the next ones are the “knuckles,” and the last ones are the “back- knuckles.” The foreparts of the nails are the “roots of the nails”; the extremities of the fingers from within are the “grapes” and the “finger-tips.”6
Pollux, Onomasticon 2.142–143 and 145–156 τῶν μέντοι περὶ τῷ πήχει δύο ὀϲτῶν τὸ ϲμικρό- τερον κερκὶϲ ὀνομάζεται καὶ παραπήχειον, ὡϲ τοῦ μείζονοϲ ἔχοντοϲ τὴν τοῦ πήχεωϲ προϲηγο- ρίαν, ὃ καὶ προπήχειόν τινεϲ καλοῦϲιν. οὗ τὸ πέραϲ καρπὸϲ ὀνομάζεται, ϲυγκείμενον ἐξ ὀϲτῶν ὀκτώ. καὶ προκάρπιον μὲν καλεῖται τὸ πρὸ τοῦ καρποῦ—τῷ δὲ καρπῷ καὶ προβολή τιϲ ἀϲτρα- γάλῳ προϲφερὴϲ ϲυμπέφυκεν—, μετακάρπιον δὲ τὸ πρὸ τῶν δακτύλων πλατυνόμενον, ἀφ’ οὗ εἰϲ ἐκείνουϲ ἡ χεὶρ ϲχίζεται. (…)
Of the two bones in the forearm, the smaller one is called “shuttle” [radius] and parapechion; for the larger bone bears the name of the forearm [i.e.
pechus], which some call also propechion. The extremity thereof is called karpos; it consists of eight bones. The part before the palm is called pro- karpion—attached to the palm, there is a protruding bone resembling a knucklebone—and metakarpion (is the name of) the broad part before the fingers, from which the hand divides into the fingers. (…) ὀνομάζονται δὲ οἱ δάκτυλοι μικρόϲ, παράμεϲοϲ,
μέϲοϲ, λιχανόϲ, ἀντίχειρ ἢ μέγαϲ. τὰ δ᾿ ἐπὶ τῷ μετακαρπίῳ πρὸ τῶν κονδύλων μετακόνδυλα, ὧν τὰ μὲν κάτω ἄρθρα, τὰ δ᾿ ὑπὸ ταῖϲ φάλαγξι ῥιζωνυχίαι· ἐξ αὐτῶν γὰρ αἱ τῶν ὀνύχων ἀρχαί.
μεθ᾿ ἃϲ ὄνυχεϲ, ὑφ᾿ οἷϲ τὰ νεῦρα παύεϲθαι λέγουϲιν· ὧν τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῷ ὄνυχι κρυπτά, τὰ δ᾿
ἄνωθεν ἄργεμοι, τὰ δ᾿ ἑκατέρωθεν παρωνυχίαι, τὰ δὲ μετ᾿ αὐτὰϲ γωνίαι. τὸ δὲ πρὸϲ ταῖϲ ῥιζωνυ- χίαιϲ λευκὸν ἀνατολή. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐπιφαινόμενα τοῖϲ ὄνυξι νεφέλια, τὰ δ᾿ ἔνδοθεν τῶν δακτύλων πέρατα ῥᾶγέϲ τε καὶ κορυφαί.
The fingers are called the “small one,” the “next to middle” [ring finger], the “middle,” the “licker”
[index], the “opposite hand” or “large one” [thumb].
The parts at the metacarpal before the knuckles are the “back-knuckles,” of which the lower parts are “joints,” whereas the parts under the phalanges are the “roots of the nails”: for it is from them that the nails start. After those, there are the “nails,”
under which it is said that the nerves end. Belonging to the nails, what is under the nail (is called) “the hidden part,” the upper part, “the whites,” what is on either side, the “nail-sides,” and what is beyond
5 The word ταρϲόϲ is used both for the hand (bones of the back of the hand), and for the foot (bones between the heel and the toes).
6 The ῥᾶγεϲ (litt. “grapes”) correspond to the soft part under the distal phalanx, i.e. the last bone of the finger. The κορυφαί are the tips properly speaking.
Paul Schubert 298
the nails, the “corners.” The white part near the roots of the nails is called the “rising.” The spots that appear on the nails are called “little clouds,” whereas the inner part of the extremities of fingers are called the “grapes” and the “tips.”
2 κ̣ερκί̣[ϲ]: Herophilus of Alexandria, in the third century BC, is said to have called also the tibia κερκίϲ. See Herophilus fr. 129 von Staden (= Ruf., De nominatione partium hominis 123 [p. 149 Daremberg—Ruelle]), Ἡρόφιλοϲ δὲ καὶ τὴν κνήμην κερκίδα ὀνομάζει.
3 θ̣αρ̣ϲό̣[ϲ]: a misspelling for ταρϲόϲ, possibly from a confusion with θάρϲοϲ “courage.”
5 μεικ̣ρόϲ: the little finger is also called μύωψ “goad, spur”; see ΣOpp. Hal. 3.254: μύωψ ὁ μικρὸϲ δάκτυλοϲ.
[μέϲοϲ]: the middle finger is also given the obscene name of καταπύγων “bugger”; see Pollux, Onomasticon 2.184, as interpreted by LSJ.
6 [λ]ι̣χανόϲ: litt. the “licker,” from λείχω “to lick.” Finger names are often linked to their potential use, like Lat. index “pointer, accuser,” or French “auriculaire,” from Late Lat. auricula “ear,” for the little finger, used to clean the ear. See also note on line 5, μεικ̣ρόϲ.
Université de Genève
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