Theban Choachytes, Pastophoroi, Door-keepers: Some Terminological Remarks

Cannata delivers an extremely wide and deeply documented survey of the Ptolemaic funerary industry. With the scope of improving the fruition of such a valuable volume, some transliterations and translations of Demotic terms have been revised here. Notably, adopting Pestman’s and Chauveau’s suggestions, it has to be remarked that in the Theban area, a person whose principal occupation was “choachyte” bore the priestly title of “pastophoros of Amenope in the West of Thebes”, and not simply “pastophoros”, which in turn was different from the title of “door-keeper”. Similarly, the lesonis of a choachytes’ association was significantly different from the one of a temple: the hierarchical titles of the former were inspired by the latter, but they should not be strictly compared. Three documents presented in full by the author, that is P. Cairo 50127, P. Philadelphia XXX and P. Florence 3667, have been checked on photographs. In particular, new readings change the interpretation of the latter papyrus: instead of the breakdown of the funerary expenses for the mummification and burial of the choachyte Horos, it is here suggested that it was the account of a choachytes’ association or group, incorporating penalties to be paid by some members and also real estate properties. In the end, some publications, either recently issued or forthcoming, are suggested as complements to Cannata’s remarkable work.