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Dear Editor,
I very much enjoy your magazine and read it cover to cover. The timeline and maps at the beginning are very useful. In issue 150, in the article on the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, there’s an oddity. It says Ptolemy II had the New Testament translated from Hebrew. How could someone living several centuries BC have access to the New Testament – never mind that it was written in Greek, and not Hebrew?
Thanks,
T Randall
Indeed Ptolemy II would not have had access to the New Testament, reigning more than 200 years before the birth of Christ. The article refers to the New Testament as one of the religious texts found at the site; Ptolemy II is mentioned in relation to the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament created for the Greek-speaking Jews in Alexandria. However, we did unfortunately make an error in the picture caption – which should have stated that Ptolemy II commissioned a translation of the OLD Testament – not the New. Apologies for the mistake!
J Peter Phillips
Dear Editor,
I have read Roger Forshaw’s article on Hesyre the Dentist (AE 151). As a retired dentist and also in other fields, I found this article extremely well written and interesting, concerning the excavation of Hesyre’s mastaba, artwork and wood panels found in his mastaba, identification and portraits of Hesyre, and of course medicine and dentistry.
There is some confusion over whether Hesyre was a dentist or a master craftsman working in ivory. Hesyre had the title of ‘Overseer of craftsmen of the king’. With this title, I picture Hesyre being the procurer of fine craftsmen’s objects for the king and possibly a master craftsman himself in scrimshaw work in ivory. To me, Hesyre is the earliest dentist known by name. As to who was the earliest physician known by name, it would be either Hesyre or Imhotep – both of whom served under the same pharaoh, Djoser of the Third Dynasty (c.2667-2648 BC). I consider Imhotep also as a physician as he was later associated with the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius. Both these men were very talented individuals in many fields of work.
Joseph L Thimes, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Dear Joseph,
Thank you for your letter and for contributing to the discussion on Hesyre. Your points raise several interesting aspects of the debate.
Regarding the title wr ibH swnw, as you note, there has been some debate over whether it should be translated as ‘Great One of Dentists and Physicians’ or, following an earlier proposal, ‘Great One of the Ivory Cutters’. In my view, and in the consensus of many Egyptologists, the medical interpretation has largely superseded the older reading.
I have been unable to locate your ‘Overseer of the craftsmen of the king’ among the 13 titles inscribed on the wooden panels, and, as far as I am aware, no other sources provide information on Hesyre’s titles. However, the title iry xt nswt, usually rendered as ‘One who is known to the king’ or ‘Custodian/overseer of the king’s property’, does appear.
It is sometimes suggested that Imhotep was a physician, but no contemporary evidence supports this. No titles or archaeological evidence indicate a medical role. This association appears only posthumously, as myths and legends developed around him. Portrayed as the son of Ptah and later deified, he was regarded, like other popular deities, as a healer, which probably underlies his later link with medicine.
Roger Forshaw
