PHerc. 1667 · Herculaneum · buried AD 79

PHerc. 1667The Final Columns of a Lost Treatise

The surviving lower portions of the closing columns of an ethical work, likely Stoic, of the 2nd century BC — read without opening the scroll. The full Greek text with the editors' English translation.

Author and title: lost (the end-title likely stood in the destroyed upper portion)
Date: 2nd century BC, possibly very late 3rd — anchored by the naming of Aristocreon, nephew and disciple of Chrysippus, in the final column
Recovery: complete virtual unwrapping, Angelotti et al., Vesuvius Challenge, June 2026 · transcription by eight papyrologists

What you are reading

Only the bottom of each column survives; the top of every column was destroyed. Each column therefore begins mid-sentence, marked below by a charred upper edge.

The Greek is the editors' transcription, given here as a reading text: the sublinear dots that mark uncertain letters in the diplomatic edition are omitted. For any citation, consult the edition itself.

The English is the editors' own translation, reproduced exactly, ellipses included. Nothing has been smoothed or completed.

Conventions

  • « … »the editors' translation; gaps are lacunae
  • [abc]editorial restoration — supplied, not read
  • . . .lost or unreadable letters
  • ϲlunate sigma, as written in the papyrus
  • fort. / ex. gr.apparatus: "perhaps" / "for example" — editors' conjectures

The roll opens in ruin

Columns 1–4 · traces only — no connected letters survive

Column 5lines 1–2 traces
] . . . . τομ[ . ]τίθεϲθαι ψευ[ ]ϲ τὸ ὅμοιον . .

« … the similar … »

3 sq. perhaps τὸ μὴ [ϲυγκατα]τίθεϲθαι ψευδ[ῶϲ?] — "not assenting falsely"
Column 6lines 1–5 traces
ὁρμὰϲ περι[ . . . . . . . . ] αϲ τομηϲυ[ . . . . . . . ] θεϲθαι τῶι [ . . . . . . . ]

« … impulses … »

7 sq. τὸ μὴ ϲυγ[κατατί]θεϲθαι — "not assenting"
Column 7lines 1–6 traces
. . . . . εψ[ . . . . . . . . ] ϲει προϲγ[ . . . . . . ] . . . . το φυϲι[ . . . . . . ] την ἀπροπ[ . . . ] . . . .

— no connected translation —

10 fort. ἀπροπτ[ωϲί]αν — "non-precipitancy," the Stoic epistemic virtue
Column 8lines 1–7 traces
κα . . η . . . [ . . . . . . . ] τιν δε . . . . [ . . . . . . . ] νοϲ παρα . . . [ . . . . . ] . ἀλλα . . π . υ[ . . . ] . . .

— no connected translation —

Column 9
. . . . . [ . . . . ] καθ᾿ ὅϲον δεξα[ . . . . . ] .τοϲ ἐϲ- τιν . . . . [ . . . . . . . . ] ὑποκατα[ . . . . . . . . ] τοϲ τον[ . . . . ] . . . . . . τον ἀνθρ[ωπ . . . . . ]ειν αὐτὴν ἢ ϲχεῖν . [ . ] . . [ . . ] ναι ὅτι δὲ κα . . . . οιϲ

« … so far as … this or to have … that … »

Column 10
. . . . [ . . . . . . . ]τάναι προϲῆκον ἐπὶ τὸ πᾶν ἔτι ο[ . . . ]ηρου ἔϲ- ται δέοϲ καὶ ἐν . . . ωι τὸ μέγα καὶ μακρόν

« … that befits on the whole still … fear will be [of? …] and … the great and long … »

8 perhaps τοῦ [πον]ηροῦ? — "of the wicked" · 9 δέοϲ read hesitantly; perhaps ἐν πόνωι — "in toil/pain"
Column 11
τον [ . . . ] εϲτάτων . . . . . . [ . . ] τηϲιν καὶ τὴν ὁρμ[ὴν . . . . . . . ] ατα τουτ[ . ] . . . . . . . αριϲη πρὸϲ [δ]ὲ τὰ οὕτωϲ ἕκα- ϲτα πο . . . ωϲ πεφύκα- μεν καὶ πρὸϲ τὸ ταῦ- τα ποιεῖν ἃ φαίνειν

« … and the impulse … For/towards each of these things in this way … we are by nature … and for doing these things that … seem … »

9 sq. ταῦ|τα or ταὐ|τά
Column 12
[ . . ]νότατα δ᾿ ἀνθρώ- [πο]ιϲ καὶ θηρϲίν, τάδε [ . . . . . . . ] . κνα . . . . [ . . . . . . . ] . αιταϲ . . . [ . ] πολὺ δὲ μάλιϲτα τὰ κοινότατα ἕκαϲτα ταῦτα ϲυνίϲτηϲιν . ηφ . . . . . αι γὰρ ἀναγ-

« … to men and beasts, these things … And above all, each of the most common things constitutes these … For, [necessity? necessary?] … »

3 perhaps [κοι]νότατα — "the most common things"
Column 13
φυϲικὴν ὑπ[ . . . . ] . . . διὸ καὶ οὐ . . . . . [ . . ] . . κατὰ τὴν . . . . . [ . . . . ] ταύτην τα . . . [ . . ] . . . [ . . . ] . α εὑρεθήϲετ[αι] καὶ οἱ βίοι προάξου[ϲιν] οὐθέν, ἡμῶν οὔτε τῆϲ ἡδονῆϲ οὔτε τοῦ πό- νου προϲδεομένων. ὡϲαύτωϲ δὲ καὶ τ

« … natural … therefore also … according to the … this … will be found, and lives will make no progress whatsoever, as we have no need for either pleasure or pain. In the same way, also ... »

Column 14
[ . . . . . . . . ] . τα . τα ταυτ . [ . ]ε . . ϲ καὶ ἐλλεῖ- πον οὕτωϲ βούλομαι λέγειν α . . . . . . . π . . . το . πα . . τέλεον ἐλλείπειν [ . ]αριϲτ . . . καὶ ὡϲαυτ[ . . . ]ελεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν δεξίων με- ρῶν πρὸϲ τὰ ἀριϲτερά. γίνεται δ᾿ ὁ πλεοναϲ- μὸϲ κατὰ τὴν ὁρμὴν

« … and thus lacking, I want to say … perfect … to lack … and … on the right towards the left. There is an excess in the impulse … »

7 perhaps ὡϲαύτ[ωϲ τ]ελεῖν?
Column 15
[ . . . ]λου κα[ . . ] υοντοϲ καὶ τῶν παραπληϲίων πάν- των. καθ᾿ οἷον γὰρ εἶδοϲ αἱ ὁρμαὶ πεφύκαϲιν γίνεϲθαι, κατὰ τοῦ- τό ἐϲτιν τὸ ἀνελλι- πὲϲ ὥϲτε μηθὲν ἐπι- ζητεῖν ἔτι, ἀλλὰ ἀνα- πεπληρῶϲθαι κατὰ πᾶν ὡϲ ἂν κατα

« … and of all similar things. For, according to this kind, according to which impulses exist by nature, there will be that which lacks nothing, so that one seeks nothing more, but completes in every respect as … »

1 sq. perhaps καθά[περ] | μεθύοντοϲ — "as of one drunk"
Column 16
γονεν, δι[ὰ τὴν φρό]- νηϲιν ἐγγίζουϲι τῆϲ ϲυντελείαϲ. ἀ[π]ὸ τού- των δὲ μεταβαί- νουϲα ἐπὶ τονον τὰ μὲν καθ᾿ αὑτὴν ἐν ἡμῖν ϲυντετέλε- κεν πάντα οὐ δυνα- μένη ϲυμπληρῶ{ι}- ϲαι τὴν φύϲιν, παρέ- δωκε δὲ ὑπὸ πρα-

« … by means of practical wisdom they approach perfection. Moving from these things to the … , it accomplishes within us all that pertains to it, even though it cannot fully complete nature, and it provided … »

5 τὸν λόγον? τὸ μεικρόν? τὸ νεῦρον? τὸν πρᾷον? — the subject at line 5 is unresolved · 11 ὑπὸ πρα[γμάτων?]
Column 17
[ . . . ] . οι ζητήϲο- μέν τι, ἀλλ᾿ οὐχ ἕξο- μεν ἐὰν τρόπον τι- νὰ ἑαυτῶν ἀποϲτῶ- μεν καὶ τῆϲ φύϲεωϲ ἡμῶν, ἔτι τε ὃν τρό- πον ἂν ῥηθείηϲαν αἱ λοιπαὶ τέχναι κατά τι μὲν τέλειαι εἶναι, κατά τι δὲ ἐνλείπειν, τῆϲ φρονήϲεωϲ δι-

« … we will inquire into something, but we will not grasp it, if in some way we depart from ourselves and from our own nature, and besides, in the same way as the remaining arts may be said to be perfect in one respect, but to be deficient in another respect, [being] practical wisdom … »

Column 18
[περὶ ἐ]- κείνην τὴ[ν φ]ρόνη- ϲιν οὖϲαν, καὶ περὶ αὐ- τὴν εἶναι. τοῦτον δὲ περὶ τὰϲ βαναύϲουϲ ὄντα τέχναϲ ἀπολε- λεῖφθαι πολὺ τοῦ τοι- ούτου καὶ ὥϲπερ χω- λὸν τὸ τεχνικὸν ἔχειν καὶ ἐνλελειμμένον τοιοῦτό τι μοι δοκεῖ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν

« … being practical wisdom about that, is also about this. This [person? aspect?] that concerns the mechanical arts seems to me to be very distant from such a [conception?], and to have the technical fulfilment that is, so to speak, lame and something of such type lacking, and in regard to the … »

Column 19
[ . . . . ] . . [ . . . . . . . . ] [ . . ] . δεῖϲθαι μη[δ]εμί- αϲ. ἐκπονηθέν- των μέντοι ἡμῶν διὰ τῆϲ ζητήϲεωϲ ἢ τῆϲ μαθήϲεωϲ, κα- τ᾿ οὐθὲν ἔτι λειφθη- ϲόμεθα αὐτῶν ὁμοίωϲ τέλεα τὰ καθήκον- τ᾿ αὐτοῖϲ ποιοῦντεϲ καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχον- τεϲ αὐτοῖϲ φρόνηϲιν

« … need none. Having certainly been instructed through research or learning, we will no longer be inferior to them in any respect, accomplishing the appropriate actions as they do and possessing the same practical wisdom as they do … »

7 sq. ἔτι λειφθηϲόμεθα or ἐπιλειφθηϲόμεθα
Column 20
ν[ . . . . ] . . . . . . . . ευ . . . . ν τὸ ϲυντυγ- χάνειν. τοιούτων δὲ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὄν- των ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων τῶν κακῶν οὔτε ἀγαθόν τι ἔϲται – οὐ καλὸν δέ – οὔτε κα- κὸν – οὐκ αἰϲχρόν – οὔ- τε τὸ εὐδαιμονεῖν

« … to happen. And such being the goods for us, even from the things that are opposed to evils there will be neither anything good – let alone beautiful – nor anything bad – let alone ugly –, nor happiness [will be increased or diminished] … »

2 perhaps εὔλογον · 11 ex. gr. τὸ εὐδαιμονεῖν [ἐπιταθήϲεται ἢ ἀνεθήϲεται] — "happiness [will be increased or diminished]": the bracketed close is the editors' exempli gratia supplement, not read on the papyrus
Column 21lines 4–5 traces · line 9 vestiges only
ν[ . . . . ] . . . [ . φ]ρονοῦν- τεϲ μέγα καὶ ϲεμνυνόμενοι καὶ — traces — νοι . . . . αιτε ἀπὸ τοῦ οὔτε . . ἐπαι- νεῖν τ . ν . . . . . — vestiges — μένου οἷον κατὰ τὰϲ ὑμνήϲειϲ ευτονι . .

« … showing off and being revered and … to praise … as according to the eulogies … »

Column 22final preserved column
νων εἰϲέτι ϲυνα . . . . [ . . ] ν Ἀριϲτοκρέων τὰϲ . . [ . ] ν . . τοῖϲ ἐχομένοιϲ . .

« … still … Aristocreon … to possessed/following things … »

1 perhaps ϲυναγ or ϲυναπ · Aristocreon: nephew and disciple of Chrysippus — the anchor for the Stoic attribution and the dating

Here the papyrus ends

Greek text and translation: Angelotti et al., "Complete virtual unwrapping and reading of a rolled Herculaneum papyrus," Vesuvius Challenge preprint, June 2026, §"Complete PHerc. 1667 transcription and translation." The Greek here is a reading text derived from that edition: sublinear dots marking uncertain letters are omitted, and apparatus conjectures are given in translation-adjacent notes. All bracketed material is editorial restoration. Cite only from the edition itself.

About this edition

Set as a reading edition by Manolis Tsongas, author of Acenes of Sparta: The Dragon Slayer, a novel that takes the form of a Herculaneum scroll recovered from the Villa of the Papyri.

The scroll in the novel is invented. This one is not.