Three Remarkable Arabic Documents from the Heidelberg Papyrus Collection (First-Third/Seventh-Ninth Centuries)

This chapter discusses the edition of three documents on papyrus from the first/seventh to third/ninth centuries. The documents are two drafts of commercial letters on one sheet of papyrus from the first half of the first century Hidjrah about various payments written in archaic script, an order to the postmaster of Ushmūn from Shaʿbān 133 Hidjrah belonging to the well-known group of five orders to that official first published by D.S. Margoliouth, and a letter of a merchant to his wife from the third/ninth century containing instructions about certain letters, which exhibits more pointed words than was usual at that time. The letters are presented both in Arabic form and English translated form. The really interesting thing about this letter is not the contents but a formal aspect, namely, the fact that a much higher percentage of the words are dotted than was usual. Keywords: archaic script; D.S. Margoliouth; first century Hidjrah; papyrus; Ushmūn