The manuscript designated Ashmolean Parchment AN 1981.940 contains a

Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet ...

male homosexual Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, including '' ...

love spell ''Love Spell'' is a Philippine fantasy and romance-based program airing on ABS-CBN that tells a different love story each season with a new couple. It was aired from July 9, 2006, to March 23, 2008. This series was streaming on Jeepney TV You ...

written in Hermopolitan dialect, which is held and preserved at the

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, England.

Description

This

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anima ...

leaf was obtained by the British Egyptologist

Francis Llewellyn Griffith Francis Llewellyn Griffith (27 May 1862 – 14 March 1934) was an eminent British Egyptologist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Early life and education F. Ll. Griffith was born in Brighton on 27 May 1862 where his father, Rev. Dr. ...

from an Egyptian named Fanous. It dates back to 6th or 7th century, and measures 10.5 cm wide and 8 cm high. The creases in the manuscript show that it was originally folded to 2.5 × 1.3 cm. Its provenance is unknown, but the dialect suggests somewhere in

middle Egypt Middle Egypt () is the section of land between Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta) and Upper Egypt, stretching upstream from Asyut in the south to Memphis in the north. At the time, Ancient Egypt was divided into Lower and Upper Egypt, though Middle E ...

, perhaps

Hermopolis Hermopolis ( grc, Ἑρμούπολις ''Hermoúpolis'' "the City of Hermes", also ''Hermopolis Magna'', ''Hermoû pólis megálẽ'', egy, ḫmnw , Egyptological pronunciation: "Khemenu"; cop, Ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ ''Shmun''; ar, الأشموني ...

and its surrounding areas. The text is an

incantation An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremo ...

by a man named Apapolo (Papapōlō), the son of Nooe (Noah), to compel the love of another man Phello (Phlo), the son of Maure. Phello will be restless until he finds Apapolo and satisfies the latter's desire. The text provides the only example in

Coptic language Coptic (Bohairic Coptic: , ) is a language family of closely related dialects, representing the most recent developments of the Egyptian language, and historically spoken by the Copts, starting from the third-century AD in Roman Egypt. Coptic ...

of a love spell between men. The English translation from the Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects of the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...

References

{{Reflist Incantation Texts in Coptic Egyptian manuscripts 6th-century manuscripts 7th-century manuscripts Collection of the Ashmolean Museum Gay history

Description

See also

References