Smyly — Exammation of Dates of the Assouan Aramaic Papyri. 241 



But the arrangement of the last numeral is peculiar. Elsewhere in these deeds 

 the units are always arranged in groups of three. There is a crease in the 

 papyrus here in the second group, and a faint trace of a hidden third stroke 

 may perhaps be discerned. If so, the number would be Ml III III, which 

 would be regular, but would not agree with the other year-number, unless 

 we assume that the final stroke is counted in one and not in the other." 



It has already been pointed out that there is no necessity for assuming 

 the identity of the two numbers, and Lidzbarski' is undoubtedly right in liis 

 assertion that the hidden third stroke in the second group of the second 

 number must be there, and that the number of the year connected with the 

 Jewish month is different from that connected with the Egyptian month. 

 If the last stroke is not counted, the date should be read thus : — 



On the 3rd of Chisleu, the 7th year, that is the 12th day of Thoth, the 

 8th year of Darius the King. 



But if the last stroke is part of the number, the date will be : 



On the 3rd of Chisleu, the 8th year, that is the 12th day of Thoth, the 

 9th year of Darius the King. 



In the years 417-414, the 12th of Thoth corresponded to the 16th 

 of December ; hence the 1st of Chisleu corresponded to the 14th of 

 December. The only suitable new moon is that of the 12th of December, 

 416 B.C., and the date of the papyrus is the 16th of December, 416. 



Papyeus K. 



The doubtful numbers cannot in this case be determined by the writing: 

 in each instance the final stroke has a distinctly different inclination from 

 the others. But since the number for the year given after the Jewish month 

 is certainly 13, the analogy of Papyrus J indicates that the second number 

 for the year should be 14. 



In the years 412-409, the 8th (9th ?) of Athur corresponded to the 9th 

 (10th?) of February: hence the 1st of Shebat corresponded to the 18th of 

 January. The corresponding new moon is that of the 16th of January, 

 410 B.C. Thus the date of the papyrus is the 10th of February, 410. 



It would not be reasonable to suppose that a new year began in the 

 interval between the 12th of Thoth and the following 9th of Athur : hence 

 these two dates would always fall in the same regnal year. But we have 

 found that the date of Papyrus J was the 12th of Thoth (16th of December) 

 416, and that of Papyrus K was the 9th of Athur (10th of February), 410. 



* '• Deutsche Literaturs^pitim^, 1906. 



