Notes bibliogr.

This piece seeks to examine a new papyrus from the Red Sea which the first
editors (Rodney Ast and Julia Lougovaya) entitled “Kybele on the Red Sea.” I examine
readings of the papyrus and the context in which they seem to fit. The papyrus points
to a number of interesting points in the cult of Kybele, in particular the use of lashes
(ὄστλιγγες) in ritual flagellation. The second section contains a number of words which
are compatible with what we know of metroac cult, for example in Pindar’s Theban
Dithyramb. In short, the papyrus opens an interesting window onto Kybele’s cult in the
Hellenistic, possibly even Classical, period. The range of metres used is reminiscent of
classical tragedy, with lyric mixed with anapaestic metres, but dialectical considerations
rule out classical Attic tragedy. Perhaps the fragment stems from a later, Hellenistic
tragedy with metroac theme.