Abstract
The subject of this study is a papyrus containing interesting information about drainage – namely the so-called ‘Legal Code of Hermopolis West’, known in both Demotic (P. Mattha – third century BC) and Greek versions (P.Oxy. XLVI 3285 – second century AD) – and the terminology contained therein in relation to water drains. It aims to determine what type of water these regulations applied to. To this end, the information obtained from papyrological sources is juxtaposed with what we know about drainage thanks to archaeology, especially models of houses (from the Middle Kingdom). This comparison reveals that ancient Egypt had a centuries-old tradition of draining rainwater through long, open, U-shaped gutters, even if their existence might seem unnecessary in this country at first glance.
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