With regard to administration papyri show us the actual working, not the theory, of administration, and the two rarely exactly coincide. So too with law; the practice of the law usually differs from the theory of law, and papyri reveal the practice and show us the applied law.
Turning to religion, papyri mostly illustrate the popular attitude towards religion; there is not much on mystery cults, but they show the attitude of the individual towards the deity. It is also possible from them to trace the borrowings of Christianity from Paganism and to contrast the Christian and the pagan attitude.
The lecturer gave many interesting illustrations from papyri, including letters from parents to children and children to parents, letters of condolence, letters from men engaged upon business or war to their wives and families, which give a vivid picture of the life of the time.
Sir Frederic Kenyon, K.C.B., who was in the chair, in thanking the lecturer emphasised the importance of the study of papyri and the scope this branch of research opened for original work. Here is a vast field of labour, at present only superficially worked; the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; certainly they are indefatigable, but more workers are needed if the full value is to be extracted from these papyri. Other countries are alive to the importance of the work, but our own Universities are somewhat apathetic and need arousing.
THE ROYAL NUMISMATIC SOCIETY
At the monthly meeting of the Royal Numismatic Society on February 19th, Mr. Percy H. Webb exhibited a portion of a find of late Roman coins from Egypt. The find covered the period A.D. 298-313, Domitius Domitianus—Maximinus Daza, and was, said to have comprised nearly two bushels of coins. The coins which Mr. Webb had been able to examine belonged to the last five years of the period, and were of three rulers only, Galerius Maximian, Galeria Valeria, and Daza. The bulk of the coins were of the Alexandria mint, although Antioch, Cyzicus, and Nicomedia were also represented. The find presented a number of interesting features and afforded an interesting opportunity of testing M. Jules Maurice's work, which it supported in every detail.
Mr. G. C. Brooke read a paper by Mr. R. C. Lockett on "The Coinage of Offa." The most reasonable suggestion for the date of the beginning of the Mercian coinage was after the battle of Otford in 774, but it might be as late as the Council of Chelsea, 786. The mint was probably Canterbury, as seven of his moneyers struck coins for Coenwulf, and three of these worked for Eadberht, Cuthred, and Baldred. Coins bearing the name Eadberht were probably to be attributed to Eadberht, Bishop of London, 772-787. Another penny with the name hitherto not read satisfactorily should probably be attributed to Higberht, Bishop of Lichfield, who was made Archbishop in 787. Cynethrith's coinage was evidently struck in Offa's lifetime, either as a complimentary issue, or in a period of regency during Offa's absence. A classification of the pennies of Offa was proposed, based on their affinity to the coinage of Jaenberht and Æthilheard.