Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 29
Encyclopedia
Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 29 is a fragment of the second book of the Elements
of Euclid
in Greek
. It was discovered by Grenfell and Hunt in 1897 in Oxyrhynchus
. The fragment was originally dated to the end third century or the beginning of the fourth century, although more recent scholarship suggests a date of 75-125 CE. It is housed in the library of the University of Pennsylvania
(in University Museum, E 2748). The text was published by Grenfell and Hunt in 1898.
in sloping irregular uncial letters, with no iota adscript
, and with slight spelling errors. The fragment measures 85 by 152 mm.
The fragment provides a statement of the 5th proposition of Book 2 of the Elements, together with an unlabelled diagram, and a tiny part of the preceding proposition. No part of the proof is provided. In translation, the statement is "If a straight line be cut into equal and unequal segments, the rectangle contained by the unequal segments of the whole together with the square on the straight line between the points of section is equal to the square on the half."
Euclid's Elements
Euclid's Elements is a mathematical and geometric treatise consisting of 13 books written by the Greek mathematician Euclid in Alexandria c. 300 BC. It is a collection of definitions, postulates , propositions , and mathematical proofs of the propositions...
of Euclid
Euclid
Euclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I...
in Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
. It was discovered by Grenfell and Hunt in 1897 in Oxyrhynchus
Oxyrhynchus
Oxyrhynchus is a city in Upper Egypt, located about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo, in the governorate of Al Minya. It is also an archaeological site, considered one of the most important ever discovered...
. The fragment was originally dated to the end third century or the beginning of the fourth century, although more recent scholarship suggests a date of 75-125 CE. It is housed in the library of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(in University Museum, E 2748). The text was published by Grenfell and Hunt in 1898.
Description
The manuscript was written on papyrusPapyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
in sloping irregular uncial letters, with no iota adscript
Iota adscript
In Greek polytonic orthography, the iota adscript is a iota written after a long vowel in a long diphthong, as opposed to below the vowel as a small vertical stroke ....
, and with slight spelling errors. The fragment measures 85 by 152 mm.
The fragment provides a statement of the 5th proposition of Book 2 of the Elements, together with an unlabelled diagram, and a tiny part of the preceding proposition. No part of the proof is provided. In translation, the statement is "If a straight line be cut into equal and unequal segments, the rectangle contained by the unequal segments of the whole together with the square on the straight line between the points of section is equal to the square on the half."