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The Oracle of the Potter is a Hellenistic Egyptian prophetic text, originally written in Demotic Egyptian in the 3rd century BC but only surviving in five Greek manuscript copies on papyrus (parts of two manuscripts were rewritten, likely in the 2nd century BC following the failed rebellion of Harsiesis in 132-130 BC) dated to the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD during the Roman rule of Egypt.^[1] A potter is the prophet and protagonist of the story, an allusion to Khnum, the 'Lord of the potter's wheel' who fashioned the world in Egyptian mythology.^[1]

The text was composed as anti-Ptolemaic propaganda: the potter tells king Amenophis, who writes everything down and reveals it to all men, of the future chaos and destruction that will follow the unfair, foreign rule of the Typhon/Seth-worshipping "beltwearers" (Greeks) whose city (Alexandria) will be deserted when they kill each other in the troubled times. Hephaestus/Ptah will return to Memphis along with Agathos Daimon/Shay who will abandon the beltwearers' city.

The story is comparable in style, tone, and subject matter to prophetic texts of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, such as the Prophecy of Neferti.^[2]

Notes

^ ^a ^b Gozzoli (2006), pp. 297-298.
^ Gozzoli (2006), 301-302.

References

Gozzoli, Roberto B. (2006). The Writings of History in Ancient Egypt during the First Millennium BC (ca. 1070-180 BC): Trends and Perspectives. London: Golden House Publications, printed and bound by T.J. International. ISBN 095502563X. Template:Ancient-Egypt-stub

[gozzoli_2006_297_298-1] Gozzoli (2006), pp. 297-298.

[2] Gozzoli (2006), 301-302.

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-The '''''Oracle of the Potter''''' is an [[Ancient Egyptian literature|ancient Egyptian]] prophetic text written in the [[Greek alphabet]] and transmitted in five [[manuscript]] copies on [[papyrus]] dated to the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD during the [[Egypt (Roman province)|Roman domination of Egypt]].<ref name="gozzoli 2006 297 298">Gozzoli (2006), pp. 297-298.</ref> Due to its content and inferences, the story was undoubtedly composed during the earlier [[History of Ptolemaic Egypt|Ptolemaic period of Egypt]].<ref name="gozzoli 2006 297 298"/> A potter is the [[prophet]] and [[protagonist]] of the story and can be associated with [[Khnum]], the 'Lord of the potter's wheel' who fashioned the world in [[Egyptian mythology]].<ref name="gozzoli 2006 297 298"/> In the story, some of the potter's works are broken, after which he foretells the coming of destruction and chaos for Egypt.<ref name="gozzoli 2006 297 298"/> The story is comparable in style, tone, and subject matter to prophetic texts of the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt]], such as the ''[[Prophecy of Neferti]]''.<ref>Gozzoli (2006), 301-302.</ref>
+The '''''Oracle of the Potter''''' is a Hellenistic Egyptian prophetic text, originally written in Demotic Egyptian in the 3rd century BC but only surviving in five Greek [[manuscript]] copies on [[papyrus]] (parts of two manuscripts were rewritten, likely in the 2nd century BC following the failed rebellion of Harsiesis in 132-130 BC) dated to the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD during the [[Egypt (Roman province)|Roman rule of Egypt]].<ref name="gozzoli 2006 297 298">Gozzoli (2006), pp. 297-298.</ref> A potter is the [[prophet]] and [[protagonist]] of the story, an allusion to [[Khnum]], the 'Lord of the potter's wheel' who fashioned the world in [[Egyptian mythology]].<ref name="gozzoli 2006 297 298"/>
+The text was composed as anti-Ptolemaic propaganda: the potter tells king Amenophis, who writes everything down and reveals it to all men, of the future chaos and destruction that will follow the unfair, foreign rule of the [[Typhon]]/[[Seth]]-worshipping "beltwearers" (Greeks) whose city ([[Alexandria]]) will be deserted when they kill each other in the troubled times. [[Hephaestus]]/[[Ptah]] will return to Memphis along with Agathos Daimon/[[Shay]] who will abandon the beltwearers' city.
+The story is comparable in style, tone, and subject matter to prophetic texts of the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt]], such as the ''[[Prophecy of Neferti]]''.<ref>Gozzoli (2006), 301-302.</ref>
 ==See also==