Oracle Letters  [see List of seals Nos. 186-199]

In Egypt, every one could ask the gods for advice, e.g. by means of oracle letters (68).  If one had a problem and could not choose between two alternatives, he could write them down in two oracle letters, each containing one of the possibilities. Both letters were sealed and put in an urn. Then the urn, with both oracle letters, was given to the temple, where the god made a choice. The supplicant got one of his two oracle letters back and opened it to find the right answer. The remaining oracle letter with the ‘wrong’ answer was preserved in the temple  (69) and could remain sealed (see below).

One such Greek oracle letter was discovered with a seal still attached to it [see List No. 193]. It is not clear whether it was opened in antiquity or recent times. Furthermore, seven demotic oracle letters addressed to the god Teephibis  (70) in Hermopolis were found together, still sealed [see List Nos. 186-192]. The latter were doubtless kept in the temple. All were written on the same day and all are questions of the same man, who appears to have been an important official (71).  He sealed the oracle letters with his seal, which has an Egyptian device. Finally, six demotic oracle letters addressed to the god Sobek/ Souchos were found in Soknopaiu Nesos [see Map], probably in the temple of Sobek [see List Nos. 194-199].

The practice of oracle letters was still in use in Byzantium in A.D. 1100, as appears from the detailed description in the Alexiad of the Princess Anna Comnena: "Accordingly he [i.e. the emperor] formed a plan which was both prudent and audacious, namely, to enquire of God, whether he ought to abide by his decision of advancing on Iconium, or direct his attack against the barbarians round Philomelium. He wrote these questions on two papers, placed them on the Holy Table and spent the whole night in offering hymns and lengthy intercessions to God. At dawn the priest went in and picking up one of the two papers placed on the Table, opened it in the presence of all and read out to the Emperor that he was commanded to take the road to Philomelium. So much then about the Emperor." (72).
 

Demotic Agreements  [see List of seals Nos. 200-201]

No. 200 is a private agreement in demotic between two Egyptians: the woman Tanouphis and the man Totoes. The agreement was drawn up by a third person, a private individual, not a notary. Afterwards it was rolled up and sealed. The seal is preserved. To the right and to the left of the seal the scribe has written a summary: "The document (bk) that Tanouphis, daughter of Psenminis, has made for Totoes, son of Zmanres". The document was then given to the creditor Totoes. The seal impression must have been made by the debtor Tanouphis, or, less probably, by the writer of the agreement.

There are some similar cases from the same period. Two people or parties make an agreement, written down by a third person, and on the back a similar summary of the same kind is recorded: "The document (bk or s?h or, "lease" s?hn) that NN has made for NN". The summary is split in the middle as if a seal had been put there. We may assume that in those cases the seal has been lost (73).
 

Regulations of a Cult Guild  [see List of seals No. 202]

No. 202 contains the regulations of the Theban cult guild of choachytae, a kind of funerary priests (74).  This demotic papyrus was sealed with three seals. The impression is identical on all three seals: the inscription "The royal scribe Amenothes". The god Amenothes, originally the architect of pharaoh Amenhotep III, was worshipped on the west bank of Thebes, in a chapel of Hatshepsut's mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri (75).  Amenothes was the patron deity of the choachyte guild and his name and title figured on the official seal of the association.
 

Reports by Priests  [see List of seals Nos. 203-204]

Two priestly reports, kept in the temple of Sobek at Soknopaiu Nesos, bear a seal, at least one of them with an Egyptian device, as it was sealed by an Egyptian priest [see List Nos. 203a-b].
 
 
 

Therefore, all kinds of contracts could be sealed partly or entirely to prevent any of the interested parties from changing a clause; on the other hand, letters, petitions and other documents meant to be despatched, were also closed with a seal, so that nobody could read or change what was written in them. When a second document was sent together with another, even if the two documents were written on the same papyrus sheet, the former was said to be "enclosed under the same seal" (sunsfragivzw) (76).

I would like to end this chapter with a business letter from a certain Didymos: he thought it was not safe enough to seal in the ordinary way a lease contract that had to be sent to him: "As soon as you get the lease contract, send it to me by the donkey-drivers or by another reliable person, rolling it up in something useless (?) and sealing it." (77).