fontes historiae nubiorum - Digitalt - Universitetet i Bergen

Fontes Historiae Nubiorum II
Ramesses XI and lasted until the second half of the 4th century AD. They thus
include the so-called Napatan and Meroitic periods as well.
The geographical and political term "Aithiopia" (in its Greek spelling, to
avoid confusion with modern Ethiopia) is used whenever the classical sources
we are commenting on use this notoriously vague term themselves; in these
texts, reference normally is to the Nile Region south of Egypt.
Though this is in the end a team-work, a certain division of labour has been
both necessary and natural. The selection of sources was made by Låszlô Tör,A
(LT), who also wrote the historical comments. Richard Holton Pierce (RHP)
translated the Egyptian texts, hieroglyphic as well as Demotic and (in Vol. III)
Coptic. Tormod Eide (TE) and Tomas Flägg (TH) produced the Greek and Latin
translations and are also responsible for the "Introductions to source" preceding
those texts and for the philological notes to the translations. These translations
were also subjected to thoroughgoing discussion among TE, TH, and
RHP, so the initials added there denote only who made the first draft—and had
the final say. The Meroitic sources, finally, are treated by LT (of course, no consecutive
translation of these can be provided).
Each source text is presented in such a way that it may be consulted separately;
but the translation itself is only part of the whole, and it is necessary, in
order to assess it correctly, to read the entry in its entirety, including the introduction
and notes, and to follow up the internal references that are supplied.
The translated text extracts, of various genre and function, can be interpreted
and used for historical conclusions with some confidence only if their respective
nature and context are properly understood.
For the Greek and Latin literary sources, there is first a "Source bibliography",
listing selected works that illuminate the nature and context of the literary
work from which the extract is taken. The "Introduction to source" attempts
to present to readers not familiar with Greek and Latin literature the basic
facts about the particular author and his work; but there is also discussion of
special source problems, with references to the scholarly debate, which may also
be useful for people with a prior working knowledge of Classical texts in general.
Consultation of the footnotes to the translations is likewise important
since they indicate, among other things, the places where the translation given
is open to doubt for various (textual or interpretational) reasons.
The documentary sources in Greek and Latin are presented in a corresponding
way, explaining in the introduction the historical context and function or
genre of the inscription or papyrus/parchment text in question, as well as giving
the basic bibliographical guidance for those who wish to go further. For
practical reasons, different procedures have been chosen for the reproduction of
the texts themselves. Sometimes, for the benefit of the modern reader, we have
divided the text (and the translation) into its structural parts; sometimes, particularly
in the case of very fragmentary texts, we have deemed it necessary instead
to follow, line by line, their original disposition on the stone or papyrus.
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