
Oliver White
Head of Department
£2,000 - £3,000
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Head of Department
Provenance: Frank Linville Collection, Malter Sale XXXIX, 2 April 1989, 99, ill.
Four line inscription:
amara Hayyan/ ibin Shurayh/ mikyala/ mishsh
"Ordered Hayyan/ b. Shurayh/ a measure/ of mishsh
The reading of mishsh seems probable (although it is preceded by a stroke). According to the notes left by A.H. Morton, other possibilities could include turmus "lupin", otherwise fals, perhaps bi-fals. Wafin "full-measure" seems impossible.
The commodity mishsh is most common on measure stamps. The identification was proposed by Miles (1958, 85) as a well-known dairy product in modern Egypt; but mishsh is unknown to the classical Arabic lexicon (Morton 1985, 64, with bibliography). Many stamped glass measures of this Governor are known, but none for mishsh.