Updated
Feb 26, 2024
Hi ETC!
The Forging Antiquity Project website gave us wonderful information about unpublished letters involving Simonides. Simonides was writing to his (fictitious?) friend Kallinikos on the hieroglyphics interpretation. And Simonides had correspondence with his friend James Eliot Hodgkin, apparently during the latter parts of the Sinaiticus controversy, when their relationship was a bit strained. Three or more letters were indicated.
Yet those letters have not been published, nor have we been informed where they can be found.
Why not?
It is possible that they are discomfiting to the standard narrative, e.g. about the "fictitious" Kallnikos. Or the presumed Sinaiticus motives and efforts of Simonides. The letters may touch on “the facts on the ground.”
Or perhaps they are not so interesting. Still, we can only tell by objective study of the letters, whether in Greek, which we can translate, or in English.
Yet, personal, private, not-for-publication letters of Simonides definitely have special interest to modern scholarship! Such letters are rare and are of a very different quality than letters designed for publication, especially if they relate to the Sinaiticus controversies!
Here is the description, from an intern, that is available:
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2019 Interns on the Forging Antiquity Project (2020)
In the second semester of 2019, the Forging Antiquity team were joined by a number of undergraduate interns working on a range of topics from the early history of scientific testing through to the …
markersofauthenticity.com
"One of the projects of my internship included translating the writings of the elusive Konstantinos Simonides, a notorious Greek forger of the 19th century. My primary focus was on Simonides’ letter to the fictitious monk Kallinikos, purporting to demonstrate the ‘correct’ reading of Egyptian hieroglyphs in opposition to that of Champollion. Throughout this year, I have the privilege of continuing my work on Simonides as a Research Assistant, transcribing and translating the letters between him and his once good friend John Eliot Hodgkin."
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Perhaps Tommy Wasserman or Malcolm Choat or others involved in the Forging Antiquity Project and studying Constantine Simonides would help with the efforts to make these available.
We are now at 3 and 1/2 years since that announcement was posted, and there has been no follow-up.
Your help appreciated!
We need visible and transparent scholarship!
Thanks!
Steven Avery
Dutchess County, NY USA
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