Edition of Ptolemaic Papyri from the Collection of the Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis (Brussels).

Objectives : 1) The first thing to be done is to produce a full invetory of the Brussels texts, i.e. a full material description is to be made : size, state of conversion, inscription recto and verso, diplomatic and bibliological features . Thus, the Brussels collection will be made available to researchers from other institutions . 2) Considering the bad state of conservation of the texts, they are be restored . Making the texts readible is in this respect an important aim . This will be done by means of the most modern techniques, such as the use of an infrared CCD camera and image enhancing by computer, but also by artisanal techniques . 3) A survey is to be made of other texts coming from the same source in quite diverse collections . In view of the results already attained there is a very real chance that new links with other papyri will be found, physical links as well as links concerning their content and archival origin . 4) The material study should give us a better insight into the techniques used in the workshops where cartonnages were manufactured . 5) The edition and commentary of the texts in the Brussels collection will have to be carried out in close connection with texts from other collections . On the one hand, new combinations or fragments will lead to a better understanding of individual texts . On the other hand, the reconstruction of files and archieves is just as important a goal : the papyri used in cartonnages mostly come from official bureaus; these texts do not constitute different pieces, but rather more or less continuous files; thus, the reconstruction of the files will contribute greatly tot the understanding of the individual texts .