Notes on Egyptian Plant Names in Pseudo-Dioscorides

Abstract

Among the many phytonyms transmitted in the manuscript branch R of Dioscorides’ De materia medica, 149 names can be found which are marked as Egyptian. With only a few exceptions (e.g. αἷμα ὄνου ‘male fern’), almost all seem to be of foreign origin. The paper presents, on the one hand, the history of research in this field, and on the other, sheds new light on several glosses. Particular attention is paid to plant names for which some Egyptian or Coptic equivalents can be found.