The Memphite Sacerdotal Decree of 161 BCE (Plates I–V)

Abstract

The present article deals with a little-known sacerdotal decree composed under Ptolemy VI Philometor in 161 BCE and includes a new hieroglyphic copy, a translation, and a commentary. The document is the most recent of the preserved Ptolemaic priestly decrees. It is of particular historical interest because it provides information on coronation ceremonies for Ptolemy VI in Memphis, an event not mentioned in other sources. Other notable elements are the reference to a revolt or unrest and the fact that the royal cartouches are consistently erased. Although the text has the usual structure of the other synodal decrees and shows, in particular, several parallels with the decrees of 196 and 185 BCE, it contains significant deviations from these texts and cannot be considered a copy or simple update of these earlier texts.