Aspetti della variazione nelle lettere papiracee in lingua greca dell'Egitto tolemaico

Most of the letters preserved on Greek papyri of the Ptolemaic Egypt are essentially aimed to inform or instruct a distant addressee, and purely confidential writings are very rare indeed. From the rule of Philadelphos, the letter is crucial in the administrative management of the reign: a broad correspondence links the boundaries to the capital, also mediating between individuals and institutions. Thus, because of widespread clichés, the letter writing appears to be very repetitive and stereotyped. This paper deals with some subtle variations in opening and closing epistolary conventions, paying a particular attention to the interaction of some sociolinguistic parameters, such as the object of the communication, the social status of the correspondents and their mutual relationship.