Southport : Original Sources in Exploration



The Oxyrhynchus Papyri

Bernard P. Grenfell and Arthur S. Hunt (Eds.)








The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Vol. 4, edited by Bernard P. Grenfell and Arthur S. Hunt (London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1903)


Private contracts, accounts, and letters: Nos. 713-747  (2 BC - AD 247) [1] [2]


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No.
713.    Claim of Ownership.    38.5 x 9 cm.     AD 97.

A declaration addressed to the keepers of the record office by a certain Leonides, requesting the formal registration (parathesis) of his prospective right to some property at present in the ownership of his mother. The claim to the property in question depended upon the marriage contract of the writer's parents, in which their joint possessions were secured {kataschon) on their demise to their children. The father had died, and his property had been duly divided between Leonides and his brother and sister. The mother was still living, and had already made over two-thirds of her real estate to this brother and sister upon the marriage of the pair. Leonides, who was probably the younger son, therefore wished that note should be taken of this division, and that his own title to the remaining third of the property should be placed on record. The document is dated in Phamenoth of the ist year of Nerva, i.e. A.D. 97. It is not known that a general apographe of real property occurred in that year, while 481 shows that such a registration took place in A. D. 99. There is evidence that general apographai separated only by a two years' interval, were held in A.D. 129 and 131 (75, 715, B.G. U. 420, &c.), but that these both affected the same nome is not yet ascertained. Pending further data it will therefore be best to suppose that the present was a special declaration called forth by the peculiar circumstances of the case. 

translation:
" Inserted on the register. To Demetrius and Apollonius and Diogenes, keepers of the records, from Leonides son of Diodorus son of Diodorus, his mother being Saraeus daughter of Leonides, of Oxyrhynchus. My parents, Diodorus son of Diodorus son of Agathinus, and Saraeus daughter of Leonides son of Alexander, her mother being Isidora daughter of Calas, of the said city, in accordance with the contract of marriage made between them through the record office of the said city in the month Sebastus of the 12th year of the deified Claudius settled upon their joint issue the whole of their property, in order that after their death it might be the secure and inalienable possession of their children ; and whereas my father died leaving me and my brother and sister, Diodorus and Thais, his heirs, and his property devolved upon us, and whereas our mother possesses at Nesla 9^ arourae and at Peenno 2^ arourae of the concessional?) land of Thrasymachus, together making 12 arourae, and bestowed upon my brother and sister aforesaid through their marriage contract 4 each of the arourae at Nesla, that is one-third of the aforesaid 12 arourae : I too declare for registration my right to the remaining 4 arourae of my mother ; and the aforesaid contract of my parents remains in force and uncancelled to the present day. The 1st year of the Emperor Nerva Caesar Augustus, Pharmenoth 19." Signature of Demetrius and date.

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No. 714. Selection of Boys (Epikrisis)  Fr. (a) 4.2 x5, Fr. (b) 29x5 cm. AD 122.

An application addressed to a variety of officials by an Oxyrhynchite who enjoyed the privilege of paying a reduced poll-tax of 13 drachmae, requesting that a slave who had been born in his house and had reached the age of thirteen might be placed on the same privileged list. This papyrus thus confirms the evidence of 478 and B.G.U. 324, that the liability of slaves in respect of poll-tax was determined by that of their owners. A discussion of the general question of epikrisis is given in P. Oxy. II. pp. 217 sqq. This papyrus is interesting palaeographically, being carefully written in a semi-uncial hand approximating to the sloping oval type, examples of which are often too indiscriminately assigned to the third century.

translation:
"To Philonicus also called Hermodorus, basilico-grammateus, and Dionysius and a second Dionysius, keepers of the archives and officers in charge of the selection, and to ApoUonius, ex-exegetes and scribe of the city, from Apollonius ... of the city of Oxyrhynchus, living in the West Quay quarter. My slave . . . , born in the house to my female slave . . . , has reached the age of 1 3 years in the past 5th year of Hadrlanus Caesar the lord. I therefore declare that I am rated at 12 drachmae by a poll-tax list of the 2nd year of Hadrianus Caesar the lord at the said quarter, and I swear by the Emperor Caesar Trajanus Hadrianus Augustus that I have made no false statement." Date and docket of registration. 

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No. 715.    Registration of Property.   30.7 x 11.5 cm.   AD 131.

A return of house-property in the Heracleopolite nome, addressed, as usual, to the keepers of the archives, in A. D. 131, when a general of real property took place; cf. B.G.U. 420 and 459, and 237. viii. 31, note. The formula is practically the same as that found in the Oxyrhynchus returns, e.g. 75 and 481. At the end is a docket of the Bibliophulax.

translation:
" To Heras and Origenes, ex-gymnasiarchs, keepers of ihe records of real property in the Heracleopolite nome, from Gorgias and Galestus both sons of Polemon son of Gorgias, their mother being Dionysias daughter of Galestus, from the village of Toemisis. We register at our own risk jointly and equally for the present 15th year of Hadrianus Caesar the lord in accordance with the command the property which has devolved upon us from our deceased father Polemon son of Gorgias and Tapontos, from the said Toemisis, viz. the third share which fell to him of a house at the said Toemisis and his share of a piece of open ground, and what previously belonged to his sister Helene daughter of Gorgias and the said Tapontos, in accordance with a will which was opened in the 12th year of Hadrianus Caesar the lord, near the village of Ibion Pachnoubis in the holding of Zoilus and Numenius 1 7/8 arourae of catoecic land, and near Pselemach( ) in the holding of Menippus and Artemidorus 1/4 aroura of catoecic land. And we swear by the Fortune of the Emperor Caesar Trajanus Hadrianus Augustus and by our ancestral gods that we have honestly and truly presented the foregoing declaration and that we have made no false statement, or may we be liable to the penalties of the oath. The 15th year of the Emperor Caesar Trajanus Pladrianus Augustus, 5th intercalary day of the month Caesareus. 1, Gorgias the aforesaid, have presented the declaration. I, Heras e.x-gymnasiarch, through Hippod( ), scribe, my representative, have entered it on the register jointly at the risk of the declaring parties, no public or private interests being injured. 5th intercalary day."

 
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No. 716.    Auction of a Slave.   18.8 x 11.8 cm.    AD 186.

An application to a gymnasiarch from the guardians of three minors for a public auction of their wards' respective shares, amounting to two-thirds in all, of a male slave. The remaining third part of the slave was the property of the minors' half-brother, but had been emancipated by him ; and this combination of circumstances led to the present request for an auction (hothen epididomen), 1. 1 8), though the legal point involved is not very clear. It is however certain, as Professor Mitteis remarks, that neither this papyrus nor 722, where a partial manumission is also concerned, can be brought under Roman law, according to which, at this period, in the case of a joint ownership of a slave, a manumitted share simply passed to the other owners (Ulpian, Fr. i. 18). There can therefore be only a question of Greek or Egyptian law ; and in the absence of parallels recourse must be had to more or less probable hypotheses. At the outset a doubt arises whether or not the partial manumission was the direct cause of the public auction. It is quite possible that the parties concerned merely wished to wind up their joint ownership, and that the details respecting the liberated share are accidental. If, however, the manumission was an essential factor, as in 1. 18 would rather indicate, the course here followed may be supposed to have been prescribed either in the interest of the slave or of the owners. In a sale by public auction the rights of a partially freed slave could be safeguarded in a manner which would not be practicable in a private treaty ; and this consideration supplies a very likely explanation of the present proceedings. Or, on the other hand, as Mitteis suggests, a sale by auction would protect an owner who wished to retain his share of a slave against a partner or partners who desired manumission. A sale of this kind would place the larger owner at an advantage against the smaller, since the former, if successful, would pay the latter only a fraction of the purchase-money, while the higher the bid of the small owner the greater the sum due from him to the predominant partner.

translation:
"To Asclepiades also called Sarapion, gymnasiarch, greeting, from Horion son of Panechotes son of Doras, his mother being Taous, and from ApoUonius son of Dorion son of Heras, his mother being Thaesis, and from Abascantus, freedman of Samus son of Heraclides, all three of Oxyrhynchus and guardians of the children of Theon also called Dionysius, namely Eudaemonis, whose mother is Sintheus, and Dionysius and Thaesis, whose mother is Tauris, being minors and all three of the said city. The said minors own, Eudaemonis one-sixth and Dionysius and Thaesis a half, together twothirds, of a slave of their father's named Sarapion, aged about 30 years, the remaining third share of whom, belonging to Diogenes their brother on the father's side, has been set free by him. We therefore present this memorandum requesting that in respect of (?) the aforesaid two-thirds a public auction should be held, and that the property should be handed over to the highest bidder. The 27th year of the Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Pius Felix Augustus Armeniacus Medicus Parthicus Sarmaticus Germanicus Maximus Britannicus, Thoth."  Signatures of Horion, ApoUonius and Abascantus, that of the last-named being written for him by Diogenes son of Theon.  

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No. 718.    Petition to the Epistrategus.    25.8 x 17.5 cm.  AD 180-192.

A petition from Antistius Primus, who had held the chief priesthood and other offices at Oxyrhynchus, complaining that a payment due to the government upon 4 arourae of Crown land had been demanded from him, although his property included no land of that character. The land in question had perhaps been the subject of a perpetual lease, and owing to lapse of time and deficiencies in the survey-lists its identity had become doubtful ; cf. a similar case in P. Amh. 68. 52 sqq. 

From the character of the handwriting the papyrus must belong to the latter half of the second century, and there can be little doubt that the Xenophon here addressed, who was evidently a high official, was T. Claudius Xenophon, known to have been epistrategus in the reign of Commodus (C.I.L. III. 6575, 8042).

translation:
"To his highness the epistrategus Titus Claudius Xenophon from . . . Antislius Primus also called Lollianus, . . . , e.x-chief-priest ... of the city of OxyrhjTichus . . . I bought from Dionysius . . . with Alexander the land at Sennis . . . belonging to him in consequence of the division made with . . . and his brother Apollonius the younger, namely 52^ arourae of corn-land and | aroura of building-land, free from obligations in respect of Crown land or Imperial estates or temple land, in accordance with the division made by me vith the (my .') brothers, the taxes upon the private land only being paid by me. A very long while afterwards, forty years having elapsed, it somehow happened after the death of the seller Dionysius that the komogrammateus of . . . , to whose district Sennis also belongs, in answer to an inquiry concerning the landlord from whom the  demand should be made of the imposts for 4 arourae of Crown land amounting to 15 artabae of wheat, stated that these 4 arourae of Crown land were included in the 53 arourae belonging to me which I bought from Dionysius and . . . , and that therefore the imposts ought to be paid by me . . . , although I have never had Crown land included in mine nor cultivate any and am altogether ignorant of the statements of the komogrammateus, and although the imposts for the said 4 arourae have for years been paid in the regular course by others. Therefore since I have incurred no small loss and it is unjust that I should be asked to pay the imposts on land which does not belong to me and which I do not cultivate, I beg you, if you think fit, to write to the strategus of the nome, in order that in accordance with the decrees he may direct the officials whose duty it is to . . . the 4 arourae of Crown land declared by the komogrammateus to be included in my private land, and may state the owner from whom the demand for the imposts may reasonably be made; for I shall retain a claim for the sums with which I was wrongfully charged against the person proved to be responsible for the payment, that so I may obtain relief. Farewell. (Signed) Presented by me, . . . Antistius Primus also called Lollianus, through Apollonius . . ."

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No. 719.    Registration of Deed.   19.8 x 16.6 cm.   AD 193.

A notice addressed to the strategus by a certain Didymus of an authorization received by him from the archidicastes in answer to an application which he had made for the registration of a purchase of some house property. A copy of the application, itself enclosing a copy of the agreement of sale, is appended, and gives some interesting information concerning the formalities attending this process of registration, which we think has not hitherto been understood. Texts of the same class already published are B. G. U. 455, 578 and 717, to which an important Leipzig papyrus will shortly be added (cf. P. Grenf. II. 71. 6, B. G. U. 970. 20-a, 983. 10). The object in all these cases is to effect the ' publication' (demosiosis) of private agreements made by note of hand (cheirographa),and the publication consisted in the registration of the agreements at the Library of Hadrian and the Nanaeum at Alexandria (cf. I. 35 below, B. G. U. 578. 19, and 34).

For such registration of a copy of an agreement the fixed charge of 13 drachmae was payable (11. 30-1), to which is added in the Leipzig papyrus a tax proportionate to the value involved ; a declaration had to be made that the document registered was really written by the person by whom it purported to have been issued (11. 33-4, B. G. U. 717. 36, &c.) ; and a notice of the transaction was served in the ordinary way through the strategus upon the other contracting party, who would of course raise objections if any irregularity had occurred (11. 3-4)• We are unable to find here, with Gradenwitz {Eiufiihrung, pp. 36-7), any question of a comparison of deeds or handwriting. The purpose was rather to obtain for the agreement concerned a validity which, as a mere cheirographon,it did not previously possess, notwithstanding the formula (hos en demosio katekechorismene)  (1. 28, &c.). In B. G. U. 578 the demosiosis was preparatory to an action at law arising out of the non-fulfilment of the terms of the  cheirographon. In the other cases no such purpose is specified, and the step taken is only precautionary. This demosiosis of cheirographa is to be distinguished from the simple notification to the archidicastes of contracts without any reference to katachorismos at the two libraries (cf. 727, introd.).

The papyrus bears the date Phaophi of the 3nd year of Pescennius3 Niger ; other documents dated shortly before the collapse of his power are 801 and P. Grenf II. 60. 

translation:
" To Achilles also called Casius, strategus, from Didymus son of Ammonius and Helene, a settler from Heliopolis. Appended is a copy of the oiTicial response received by me from the record office. " Vitalius, priest and archidicastes, to the strategus of the Oxyrhynchite nome, greeting. Let a copy of the petition which has been presented be served as follows. Good-bye. The 2nd year of Gains Pescennius Niger Justus Augustus, Phaophi 28. Signed by me . . . Written by me, Polemon son of . . . scribe of the record office. . . . To Vitalius, priest, archidicastes and superintendent of the chrematistae and other courts, from Didymus son of Ammonius and Helene, a settler from Heliopolis. Appended is a copy of the bond issued singly to me. Papontos son of Bithys and Tsenpachous, of Ision Tryphonis in the Oxyrhynchite nome, to Didymus son of Apollonius and Helene, a settler from Heliopolis, greeting. I acknowledge that I have sold and ceded to you from henceforth for ever of my property in the said Ision Tryphonis in the southern part of the village a half share of two houses, one having two storeys, the other a yard, owned jointly by me and my brother Paous, the boundaries of which are, of the one with the yard, on the south an entrance and exit, on the north the property of the heirs of Diogas, on the east that of the heirs of Horus, on the west a public road, and of the other, on the south the property of Papontos son of Mouihis, on the north that of Heraclides son of Horion, on the east a public road, on the west the property of Miusis son of Melas, at the price agreed upon between us for the cession namely 2000 drachmae of the Imperial silver coinage, which sum I have received immediately from hand to hand . . . ; and I guarantee the houses free from public and private debts and unaffected by persons' property-returns or any other claims, the right resting with you to cede to others and to manage and dispose of them as you choose. This contract, written by me, Papontos, in my own hand without erasure or insertion, is valid as though publicly registered. The ist year of Gaius Pescennius Niger Justus Augustus, Pauni 20. Being therefore desirous that the authentic bond should be publicly registered I offer the prescribed 12 drachmae, in order that the regulations concerning publication may not apply to me (?), and that a single copy may be published, and request you to take this authentic bond bearing my attestation that it is the autograph of Papontos and register it together with this petition at the Library of Hadrian . . ."

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No. 720.    Request for a Guardian.  21.5 x 9.8 cm.  AD 247.     Plate VII.

A petition in Latin addressed to the praefect, Claudius Valerius Firmus, by a woman named Aurelia Ammonarion, that he would appoint a particular person as her guardian in accordance with the lex lulia et Titia, This measure, which is supposed to have been passed in B.C. 31, empowered the praefects of provinces to assign guardians to women and minors who were without them. Appended to the document, which is signed in Greek by the petitioner and her proposed guardian, is the reply of the praefect making the appointment as desired. The rarity of accurately-dated specimens of Latin cursive gives the papyrus a considerable palaeographical interest. 

translation:
"To Claudius Valerius Firmus, praefect of Egypt, from Aurelia Ammonarion. I beg, my lord, that you will grant me as my guardian Aurelius Plutammon in accordance with the lex lulia Titia . . . Dated in the consulship of our lords Philippus Augustus for the 2nd time and Philippus Caesar. (Signed) I, Aurelia Ammonarion, have presented the petition. T, Aurelius Plutammon, assent to the request. The 4th year, Tubi 10. (Endorsed) In order that . . . may not be absent, I appoint Plutammon as guardian in accordance with the lex lulia et Titia. Received by me."

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No. 721.    Sale of Crown Land.   15 x16.5 cm.    AD 13-14.

An offer addressed by two persons to Gaius Seppius Rufus, perhaps idiologus, for the purchase of 19 arourae of land which had reverted to the State and was at the time uncultivated, at the price of 1 2 drachmae per aroura. The document follows, so far as it goes, the same formula as P.Amh. 68. 17-24, which Mitteis is no doubt right in explaining, not as a sale in the strict sense, but as an example of emphyteusis or hereditary lease (Zeitschr. Savigny-St. 1901, pp. 151 sqq.)—a custom for which we now have evidence in Egypt as early as the second century BC (cf P.Tebt. I. 5. 12). That this is the true nature of the transaction, in spite of the use of the term xxx, is shown both by the lowness of the price—in P.Amh. 68. 21, 20 drachmae, here only 12—and by the provision in the Amherst papyrus for an annual rent. Cf. 835, which is a similar offer for the 'purchase' of land addressed to the same official as 721, and P. Amh. 97. The document was never completed, blank spaces being left for some of the dates.

translation:
"To Gaius Seppius Rufus from Polemon son of Tryphon and Archelaus son of . . . We wish to purchase in the Oxyrhynchite nome of the Crown land returned as unproductive up to the . . . year of Caesar, from the holdings which were confiscated in the . . . year of Caesar and became unfruitful and the holdings confiscated up to and including the . . . year of Caesar, exclusive of temple land, for cultivation in the coming 44th year of Caesar—namely Polemon at Thosbis and Tepouis in the upper toparchy fifteen arourae, total 15 arourae, and Archelaus at ... in the toparchy of Thmoisepho, four arourae, total 4 arourae, total 19 arourae, with the understanding that on these being assigned to us we shall pay into the local State-bank the price ordered for each aroura, 12 drachmae of silver, and shall have for their reclamation and cultivation immunity from taxation for three years from the coming 44th year of Caesar . . "

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No. 722.    Emancipation of a Slave.    24-3 x 10 cm.   AD  91 or 107.

This document, which contains a formal emancipation of a female slave, drawn up before the agoranomi and concluding with an acknowledgement of the ransom, is of great interest as being the first specimen of its class from Egypt which is prior to the introduction of the constitutio  Antonina, and illustrating the differences between Graeco-Egyptian and Roman law on the subject of manumission. Of the two previously known parallels, B.G.U. 96, which is a mere fragment, belongs to the third century and the Papyrus Edmondstone (facsimile in Young's Hieroglyphics, ii, Plate 46 ; text in Curtius, Anee. Delph. App. i, Wessely, Jarrescher. des k. k. Staatsgym. in Hernals, xiii, pp. 47-8) to AD 354.

Since the publications of the latter papyrus are somewhat inaccessible, we append the text of it on p. 202. Other papyri concerning the emancipation of slaves are 716, 723, a similar but much shorter example of a second century manumission, 489 and 349, which are letters to the agoranomi authorizing them to liberate slaves. The ends of lines are lost throughout 722, but can in part be restored either from the context or from a comparison with another and quite complete specimen of an emancipation, written in the reign of Commodus, which we opportunely found in January, 1904.

The most striking feature of 722 is the circumstance that it is concerned, not with the emancipation of an individual whose status was entirely that of a slave, but with a joint manumission by two brothers of the third part of a slave who as regards the other two-thirds had already been made free ; cf. the parallel case in 716 and, as it now appears, in P. Edmondstone 6. That the previous owner of the 2/3 was a different person from the two owners of the 1/3 is not stated directly but is in the light of 716 likely enough. It is also noticeable that the ransom is paid, not by the slave herself or by a banker, but by a private individual, perhaps her prospective husband, and that a distinction is drawn between the paid to the owner and a small sum in silver which probably went to the State ; cf. note on 1. 19.

translation:
"The l0th year of the Emperor Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus, on the 6th intercalary day of Hyperberetaeus, dies Augustus, which is the 6th intercalary day of the month Caesarius, dies Augustus, at Oxyrhynchus in the Thebaid, before three agoranomi called Psammis, Achilleus, aged about 20 years, of middle height, fair, having a long face and a scar on the middle of his forehead, and Sarapas, aged about . . . years, of middle height, fair, having a long face and a scar on his left . . . , both sons of . . . son of Ammonius, their mother being Sarapous daughter of ... , all of Oxyrhynchus, have set free under sanction of Zeus, Earth, and Sun (the deed being drawn up in the street) the third part which they jointly own of the slave who has been freed as regards the other two thirds, ApoUonous, aged about 26, of middle height, fair, having a long face and a scar on the right foot, . . . for . . . drachmae 4 obols of coined silver and the ransom paid to Achilleus and Sarapas by Heraclas son of Tryphon son of . . . , his mother being Taonnophris daughter of . . . of the said city, aged about 31, of middle height, fair, having a long face and a scar above his right knee, namely 200 drachmae of Imperial silver coin and . . . talents 1000 drachmae of copper ; Achilleus or any one else on his behalf being forbidden to make any demand of the aforesaid ransom from ApoUonous or her assigns, or to . . . The certifier of the manumission is . . . son of PeteSsis, his mother being . . . , of the said city, aged about 40, of middle height, fair, having a long face and a scar upon his . . . shin, in the same street. ' 1, Achilleus, have with my brother Sarapas effected the emancipation of the third part of the slave ApoUonous, and I have received the ransom, two hundred drachmae of silver ,"

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No. 724.    Apprenticeship to Shorthand-Writer.   18.3 x 21.3 cm.  AD 155.

Contract whereby an ex-cosmetes of Oxyrhynchus apprenticed his slave to a shorthand -writer for two years to be taught to read and write shorthand, the teacher receiving 120 drachmae in all. The contract was drawn up by an unprofessional scribe, and the language is often confused.

translation:
"Panechotes also called Panares, ex-cosmetes of Oxyrhynchus, through his friend Gemellus, to Apollonius, writer of shorthand, greeting. I have placed with you my slave Chaerammon to be taught the signs which your son Dionysius knows, for a period of two years dating from the present month Phamenoth of the 1 8th year of Antoninus Caesar the lord at the salary agreed upon between us, 120 silver drachmae, not including feast-days; of which sum you have received the first installment amounting to 40 drachmae, and you will receive the second installment consisting of 40 drachmae when the boy has learnt the whole system, and the third you will receive at the end of the period when the boy writes fluently in every respect and reads faultlessly, viz. the remaining 40 drachmae. If you make him perfect within the period, I will not wait for the aforesaid limit ; but it is not lawful for me to take the boy away before the end of the period, and he shall remain with you after the expiration of it for as many days or months as he may have done no work. The 18 th year of the Emperor Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, Phamenoth 5."

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No. 725.    Apprenticeship to a Weaver.    30.7 x 11 cm.   AD 183.

A contract between Ischyrion and Heraclas, in which the former apprentices to the latter a boy called Thonis, probably the ward of Ischyrion, for five years, to be taught the trade of weaving. Arrangements are made for the provision of wages (after two years and seven months) and clothes for Thonis by Heraclas on an ascending scale, and for the case of Thonis' absence from his work for more than the 20 days allowed for holidays. Cf 275, a similar contract with a weaver written lao years previously, upon which the supplements in 11. 1-5 are based.

translation:
"schyrion son of Heradion and . . ., of Oxyrhynchus, and Heraclas son of Sarapion also called Leon, son of Heraclides, his mother being . . ., of the said city, weaver, agree with each other as follows :—Ischyrion on the one part that he has apprenticed to Heraclas . . . Thonis, a minor, to be taught the art of weaving for a period of five years starting from the ist of next month, Phaophi, and will produce him to attend the teacher for the stipulated period every day from sunrise to sunset, performing all the orders that may be given to him by the said teacher on the same terms as the other apprentices, and being fed by Ischyrion. For the first 2 years and 7 months of the 3rd year Heraclas shall pay nothing for the boy's wages, but in the remaining 5 months of the said 3rd year Heraclas shall pay for the wages of the said apprentice 12 drachmae a month, and in the 4th year likewise for wages 16 drachmae a month, and in the 5th year likewise 24 drachmae a month; and Heraclas shall furnish for the said apprentice in the present 24th year a tunic worth 16 drachmae, and in the coming 25th year a second tunic worth 20 drachmae, and likewise in the 26th year another tunic worth 24 drachmae, and in the 27th year another tunic worth 28 drachmae, and likewise in the 28th year another tunic worth 32 drachmae. The boy shall have 20 holidays in the year on account of festivals without any deduction from his wages after the payment of wages begins ; but if he exceeds this number of days from idleness or ill-health or disobedience or any other reason, Ischyrion must produce him for the teacher during an equivalent number of days, during which he shall remain and perform all his duties, as aforesaid, without wages, being fed by the said Ischyrion, because the contract has been made on these terms. Heraclas on the other part consents to all these provisions, and agrees to instruct the apprentice in the aforesaid art within the period of 5 years as thoroughly as he knows it himself, and to pay the monthly wages as above, beginning with the 8th month of the 3rd year. Neither party is permitted to violate any of the aforesaid provisions, the penalty for such violation being a fine of 100 drachmae to the party abiding by the contract and to the Treasury an equal sum. This agreement is valid. The 24th year of the Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus Armeniacus Medicus Parthicus Sarmaticus Germanicus IMaximus, Thoth 25. I, Heraclas son of Sarapion also called Leon, have made this contract and consent to all the aforesaid provisions. I, Thonis also called Morous, son of Harthonis, wrote for him as he was illiterate."


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No. 726.    Appointment of a Representative.      20 x 9-2 cm.    AD 135.

This is an agreement by which Apollonius authorizes another person to appear for him in some legal proceedings in which he was concerned, being prevented by illness from attending in person; cf. 97 and 261, which are contracts of the same kind. The document is incomplete, the name of the representative and the date not having been filled in. 

translation:
"The 19th year of the Emperor Caesar Trajanus Hadrianus Augustus, Tubi , at Oxyrhynchus in the Thebaid. Apollonius son of Apollonius son of Diogenes, his mother being Tanechotarion also called Euterpe, daughter of Diogenes, of Oxyrhynchus, acknowledges to , of the said city (the contract taking place in the street), since he is unable through sickness to make the voyage to the assize of the nome, that he has forthwith appointed to represent him in the inquiry to be held against him before his highness the praefect Petronius Mamertinus or the epistrategus Gellius Bassus or other judges, and to carry out everything concerned with the trial; for he gives his consent on these terms. The agreement is valid."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 727.    Delegation of the Duties of a Guardian,    33.3 x 15 cm.  AD 154.

This is a deed drawn up by two brothers, who were Roman citizens and owned property at Oxyrhynchus, authorizing an agent to act in their absence from Egypt for a nephew and niece whose guardians they were. The document, which is called a  Sugchoresis, is addressed to the archidicastes, whose official cognizance of the transaction was desired. Other instances of private contracts being sent to the archidicastes are 268, B. G. U. 729 and 741, the juristic significance of which is discussed by Gradenwitz, Eiiifiihrioig, pp. 91-2, and Mitteis, Archiv, I. p. 350. It is noticeable that, with the exception of 268, the persons concerned in all these cases are Roman citizens, and that the documents usually take the form of a Sugchoresis. The procedure here is apparently to be distinguished from that exemplified in 719 ; cf introd. to that papyrus.

translation:
"To . . . , son of Isidorus the ex-exegeles, late strategus of the city, priest, archidicastes and superintendent of the chrematistae and the other courts, through the deputy archidicastes Demetrius son of Heraclides the ex-exegetes, from Gaius Marcius Apion also called Diogenes and Gaius Marcius Apolinarius also called Julianus and however we are styled, and from Ophelas son of Ophelas, of Oxyrhynchus. Gaius Marcius Apion also called Diogenes and Gaius Marcius Apolinarius also called Julianus, being at present unable to make the voyage to Egypt, agree that they have appointed the aforesaid Ophelas, who is the agent for their property in the Oxyrhynchite nome, by the terms of the present authorization to act for and take charge of their brother's children Valerius Theodotus also called Polion and Valeria Apollonarion also called Nicarete, who are minors and their wards, and further to collect rents and to make such leases as may be necessary, and to appear against persons and to sell off produce as may be needful on his own authority. Accordingly let those concerned do business with Ophelas in the discharge of all the aforesaid duties ; and he shall forward to the said parties accounts of all his acts every month, and shall have power to act in all things no less than they themselves would have if present. Ophelas the appointed representative assents to this authorization ; and all bonds of every kind which Apion also called Diogenes and Apolinarius also called Julianus hold of each other remains in force. We request (your concurrence). The 17th year of the Emperor Caesar Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, Mecheir 2."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 728.    Sale of a Crop.    27 x  19 cm.     AD 142.

A contract of a somewhat novel character, called a karponea, by which two
tenants sell part of their crops standing, the money to be paid by the purchaser
within a given time direct to the landlord, who has the same rights of execution
as in the case of a loan. At the end is an acknowledgement from the landlord
of the receipt of the money.

translation:
"Patliotes and Livius, both styled as having Harseis for iheir mother, from the village of Tliosbis, have sold to Diogenes son of Amois and Abeis, from the said Thosbis, out of the land belonging to Apion son of Horion, of Oxyrhynchus, which they cultivate at Thosbis in the holding of Charixinus, consisting of 20 arourae, the crop of hay upon three arourae as fixed by a survey in the eastern part for 276 drachmae of silver, on condition that Diogenes may cut the crop bought by him and transport it to any place that he may choose, and shall hand over to the aforesaid Apion who is the owner of the land the 276 drachmae of silver before Epeiph 10 of the present 5th year of Antoninus Caesar the lord. If he fails to pay it within the stipulated date he shall forfeit the 276 drachmae of silver increased by one half, with interest at the rate of a drachma a month for each mina, Apion having the right of execution upon both Diogenes and all his property as if in accordance with a legal decision. This sale of a crop is valid. The 5th year of the Emperor Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, Pharmouthi 23. We, Pathotes and Livius, our mother being Harseis, have sold to Diogenes the crop of 3 arourae of hay as fixed by a survey for the payment of 276 drachmae of silver, as aforesaid. I, Dionysius son of Dionysius, wrote for them as they were illiterate. The same date. Apion son of Horion to Diogenes son of Amois, greeting. I have received from you the 276 drachmae which were agreed upon for the price of the hay and I make no complaint against you, as aforesaid. The 5th year of Antoninus Caesar the lord, Epeiph 2."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 729.    Lease of a Vineyard.      21x 29.7 cm.     AD 137.

A contract for the sub-lease of a vineyard for four years from Sarapion, who was himself a lessee (of 1. 14), to Ammonius and Ptoilas. The body of the document (11. 1-35) is written in a very small hand in lines of exceptional length, of which the first 35-40 letters on the average are lost, while a few lines at the beginning are also wanting, being represented only by a detached fragment which is illegible and half decayed.
 
No extant lease of the Roman period has been drawn up with such elaboration of detail as the present document, and though P. Tebt. I. 105, of the second century BC, is equally long its formula is quite different. Of the known leases of vineyards C. P. R. 244 is a mere fragment, and P. Brit. Mus. 163 is incomplete in the most important part. Hence the restoration of the lacunae in 72, which was moreover written by a somewhat careless scribe, is far from easy, and the sense of some of the provisions is obscure, though the general construction and meaning are usually intelligible.

The rent paid for the ampelon,the extent of which does not appear, was (11. 36-7) half the vine produce in addition to 50 jars of wine and perhaps a sum of money or corn ; but that does not seem to include the rent of a piece of dry land which had once been a vineyard (chersampelos, 1. 30). This is leased (II. 30-32) for three years, starting from a year after the date of the contract itself, and was to be cultivated as the lessees chose with the usual exceptions of the more exhausting crops, the rent being 60 drachmae and perhaps half the produce. The ampelon is subdivided in 1. 22 into a    ktema and a  kalameia. The former term refers mainly to the vines (though including a rose garden, V. inf.), the latter apparently to a crop of some kind of reeds ; but the passages dealing with the kalameia (11. 3-4 and 25-7) are unfortunately very imperfect, and the connexion between the vines and the kalamos is not made clear ; cf. 1. 3, note.

Lines 5-10 deal with the embankments (chomatismos), 11. l0-11 with the manuring (koprismos), 1. ii with the watching of the fruit(oporophulakia),11. i2-8 with the irrigation, for which the lessees were to receive a loan of both money and cattle, 11. 18-22 with the payment of the rent and penalties for failure to carry out the terms of the contract. Lines 23-7 regulate the condition in which the vineyard was to be delivered up at the end of the lease, while II. 27-30 are concerned with the apportionment of the various epya. After a section dealing with the lease of the chersampelos (11. 30-2) follows one concerning a rose garden in the ktyma (11. 32-3), and the lease concludes with the usual clause assigning the taxes to the lessor (11. 33-4), and another by which two rooms in a farmhouse are secured to the lessees (1. 34). Lines 35-8 contain the signature of the lessees, written for them in a large uncultivated hand by Ptolemaeus, while in 11. 38-46 is a supplementary agreement in a third hand, drawn up a year after the original contract, and acknowledging firstly (11. 38-44) the loan of the cattle mentioned in 1. 16, and secondly (11. 44-5) another loan of which the previous mention is lost.

translation:
[excerpts:]
10-11. "The necessary amount of pigeon's dung for manuring the vineyard shall be provided half by the lessees and the other half by the lessor. Sarapion shall send any guard whom he chooses in order to protect the fruit at the time of bearing, being himself responsible for the payment of him."

18-24."The said lessees are therefore required to perform all the aforesaid duties blamelessly, leaving nothing undone at the right season, so that no damage may accrue to the vineyard . . . and they shall pay to the lessor the wine at the vat, new and unadulterated, each party providing at the vat a sufficient number of jars, and for every failure to perform work at the proper time... twice the amount of the damage, and forgiving up the lease before the end of the period a fine of 500 silver drachmae and to the Treasury an equal sum without affecting the validity of the lease, and the lessor shall have the right of execution both upon the lessees who are each other's sureties for payment, and upon whichever of them he chooses and upon all their property, as if in accordance with a legal decision. And at the end of the period the lessees shall deliver the vine-land and reed-land planted, well cared for, free from rushes, grass and weeds of all kinds, and the plants healthy . . . , and the . . . palisaded, the embankments of the vineyard firm and watertight, and also any doors and keys they may have received, and the waterwheel in good repair except . . . ; and they shall irrigate the vine-land and reed-land every fifth day to the satisfaction of Sarapion, and shall transfer Sarapion's share of the wine from the . . . ."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 730.    Lease of Domain Land.    19.5 x  7.3 cm.    AD 130. 

A sub-lease of 5 arourae of domain land at Sencpta fcr one year, at the rent of 24 drachmae per aroura, with an extra payment of 4 drachmae. The crop specified is grass, while the other provisions follow the usual formulae ; cf. e. g. 499. 

translation:
" Sarapion son of Herodes, of Oxyrhynchus, has leased to Valerius son of Apollonius, of the village of Senepta, a Persian of the Epigone, for the current 15th year of Hadrianus Caesar the lord, out of the domain land standing in his name 5 arourae in the holding of Damon, to be cultivated with grass for cutting and grazing at a fixed rent of 120 silver drachmae and 4 drachmae for the slaves for a libation on account of all the land, the rent being secured against every risk, and the taxes on the land being paid by the lessor, who shall also be the owner of the crop until he receives the rent. If this lease is guaranteed, the lessee shall pay the rent in the month Pauni of the said year, and the lessee shall forfeit any arrears increased by one half; and the lessor shall have the right of execution upon the lessee and upon all his property. This lease is valid. The 15th year of the Emperor Caesar Trajanus Hadrianus Augustus, Athur 19. (Signed) I, Valerius son of Apollonius, have leased the land at a rent of 120 silver drachmae... . . ."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 731.    Engagement of Services.      11.7 x 13.4 cm.     AD. 8-9.

A contract for services to be rendered on certain specified occasions, among which are the festivals of Isis and Hera, at a salary of 40 drachmae a year, besides an of 13 drachmae 3 obols. The commencement of the contract is lost, and the nature of the services to be performed is uncertain ; but it may be conjectured on the analogy of e.g. 475, P. Grenf. II. 67, and P. Brit. Mus. 331 (cf. Archiv, I. p. 153), that the person engaged was an artiste of some kind, though to judge from the scale of remuneration, not of a very high class. The document was drawn up by a careless scribe, who makes a number of mistakes.

translation:
". . of the 39th year of Caesar to Thoth of the 40th year of Caesar, on condition that I give you my services on the 9th and loth of each month and for two days at the festival of Isis and three days at the time of the stars of Hera; and if you require me you shall pay me I drachma 2 obols of silver daily, or a fixed yearly salary of 40 drachmae of silver, and a present of 13 drachmae 2 obols of silver; and for every day that I am unemployed I will forfeit 1 drachma 2 obols of silver. This contract of engagement shall be valid as if publicly registered. The 38th year of Caesar . . ."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 732.    Receipt for the Tax on Ferry-Boats.     8.2 x 23 cm.     AD 150.

A receipt issued by two farmers of the wne porthmedon at Oxyrhynchus and certain villages to two persons who apparently were ferrymen at one of these villages, acknowledging the payment first of 200 and subsequently of 100 drachmae for phoros porthmeios, the total, 300 drachmae, being probably the whole sum due from them for a year. This impost, the title of which is new, seems to be a tax upon the profits of privately owned ferry-boats rather than a revenue derived from a State monopoly, though the latter interpretation is also possible.

translation:
"Heliodorus son of Heliodorus and Leontas son of Pekuris, of Oxyrhj-nchus, farmers of the contract for the tax on ferry-boats at the city, Ision A . . . , and other (villages) for the present 13th year of Antoninus Caesar the lord, to Achillas son of Thoonis and Apeis son of Apeis, of the said city, greeting. We have received from you on account out of the sum which you owe us for the revenue from ferry-boats at Pankulis hundred drachmae, total 200 dr."

Date and signatures of Heliodorus and Leontas, followed by their further acknowledgements of the remaining hundred drachmae.

_______________________________________________________________

No. 733.    Tax-Receipt.    12 x 9.7 cm      AD 147.


A receipt for the tax on pigs (cf 288, introd.) and poll-tax paid by an inhabitant of Oxyrhynchus and his son. The payments are no doubt installments of the whole amount due for a year.

translation:
"The l0th year of Antoninus Caesar the lord, Pachon 4. Amois also called Papontos, son of Diodorus, has paid to Diogenes, collector of money taxes of . . . street, for the pig-tax of the said l0th year 1 drachma 5 1/2 obols, total 1 dr. 5 1/2 ob. . . . , his son, his mother being Tapontos, has paid for the poll-tax of the said l0th year 4 drachmae, for the pig-tax 1 drachma 5 1/2 obols."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 736.      Private Account.     17.3 x 54.3 cm.         About AD  1

Of this lengthy account of private expenses parts of seven columns in all remain, five on the recto and two on the verso ; the first column of the recto, however, which is separated from those following by a broad blank space, is too fragmentary to be worth reproducing, and the same may be said of a narrow half-effaced column corresponding to this one but written in the reverse direction on the back. The remainder is in fairly good condition, but the papyrus is broken at the top and bottom, and the short column on the verso is sometimes difficult to decipher owing to discoloration. The various payments are arranged according to the days of the month, and some interesting items and prices occur.

translation:
11. 1-95:
"The 21st : . . . through Zm ... for the cloak of Coraxus, l0 drachmae; turnips for pickling 1 dr. 2 obols;  for the kettle, payment for enamelling 2 ob.;  salt 1 ob.;  cost of grinding 1 artaba of wheat on the 18th 3 ob.;  omelette for the bread 2 ob.;  cost of mending the cloak of Coraxus 1 1/2 ob.;  for treating (?) the wife of Gemellus 4 ob.; perfume for the dispatch of the mummy of the daughter of Phna 4 ob."

"The 22nd: a chous of oil 4 dr. 4 ob.;  wax and stilus for the children 1 ob.;  pure bread for Prima 1/2 ob.;  for treating Tyche 3 ob. "

"9th Mecheir ... the l0th : ... for the weaver's breakfast 1 ob.;  ... for the Sarapeum 2 ob.;  pure bread for the children 1/2 ob.;  beer for the weaver 1 ob.;  leeks for the weaver's breakfast 1 ob.;  a pigeon 1 ob.;  to Antas 2 dr. 2 ob.;  up at the city for the bread, cost of grinding 2 artabae of wheat, through Isas, I dr. 2 ob. "

"The 11th: at the camp, through Theodorus, for the bread, cost of grinding 1 artaba of wheat 4 ob.;  for the weaver's breakfast 1 ob.;  asparagus for the dinner of Antas when (he went) to the funeral feast of Athe . . . the fuller 1/2 ob.;  and to the slaves (?), for a cabbage for dinner 1/2 ob.;  to the child 1/2 ob.;  . . ."

"The 16th : a relish 1/2 ob.;  omelettes for the bread 2 1/2 ob."

"The 17th: milk for the children 1/2 ob.;  pure bread 1/2 ob. "

"The 18th: to Secundas, a cake for the children 1/2 ob."

"The 19th: barley water for the same 1/2 ob."

"The 20th : sauce 1 ob.;  pure bread 1/2 ob.;  for treating Antonia 2 ob.;  and for Taptollous daughter of Caecilius 3 ob.;  on the birthday of Tryphas, for garlands 2 ob.;  on the birthday of . . . for garlands 2 ob. "

"The 21st: pomegranates for the children 1 ob.;  playthings and ... for the children 1 ob.;  beer 3 ob.;  sauce 1 ob. "

"The 22nd: sauce 1 ob.;  Thaesis ... for 2 days 5 ob.;  the mother of Ammonas for . days . . .;  Taarpaesis for 2 days 5 ob.;  Berous similarly for 10 days 4 dr. 1 ob. "

"The 24th: cost of grinding 1 artaba of wheat 4 ob.;  2 ... of pickle 2 ob.;  salt 1 ob.; a needle and thread 1 ob.;  cost of grinding 1 artaba of wheat, through Theodoras, 4 ob.;  cost of weaving a cloak 1 dr. 2 ob.;  pure bread for Ph . . . 1 dr.;  a pigeon for the children 1 ob.;  pure bread for the same 1/2 ob.;  to Secundus for a cake for the children 1/2 ob., and for dry meal 1/2 ob.;  milk 1/2 ob.;  perfume for the mummy of the daughter of Pasis I dr. . . ."
 
"The l0th: ... for the women 2 dr. 3 ob.;  relishes for the women on 2 days 2 1/2 ob.;  cost of tinkering a lamp 2 1/2 ob.;  pulse when . . . was dining here 1 1/2 ob.;  for treating Laodice 2 1/2 ob."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 738.    Account of Food.    13.5 x 10.3 cm.         About AD 1

A fragment of an account of articles of food consumed on different days; cf. 108. The ends of lines of a preceding column are preserved.

translation:
"For dinner on the 5th a Canopic liver; for dinner on the 6th 10 oysters, 1 lettuce; for dinner on the 7th 2 small loaves, 1 bird . . . from the water, 2 snipe (?)."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 739.    Private Account.  32 x 10 cm.     About AD 1

A private account for a month, reckoned in silver drachmae and copper obols. Lines i-3 mention a receipt, 11. 3-32 give an account of expenditure for various purposes. The account is written on the verso, the recto being blank.

translation:
"Isas has received from Apollonius, an inhabitant of Cynus [1], 4[.] drachmae. Deduct on account of expenses : price of . . . paid to Nechtheus 28 dr., for making bread I dr. 4 ob., (for oil 4 dr. 2 ob., erased)."

"On the 4th, for grinding 5 ob., powder (?) for a relish 1 ob."

"5th, 3 baskets 4 1/2 ob:"

"6th, plates 2 ob., a relish for the builder I ob., a chous of oil 4 dr. 2 ob. Total 40 dr. 3 1/2 ob."

"7th, a relish for the builder 1 ob."

"9th, for the workman 4 ob., a relish for the builder 1 ob., the carpenter . . . "

"13th, price of oil 4 dr. 3 ob., purple 20 dr., thread for a woman's robe . . ., to Philoutarion . . . "

"22nd, price of oil 4 dr. 2 ob. Total . . ."


note:
[1] Kunon, if correct, is the name of a village, but the writer is careless about his cases (cf. 1. 7), and he may mean Kunwn, i.e. Cynopolis.

_______________________________________________________________

No. 741.    List of Articles.   16.5 x  9.5 cm.         Second century AD.



A list of miscellaneous articles, containing, as such lists commonly do, a number of rare or unknown words.

translation:
"Account of articles at order of Eugenetor in a double sack: 1 double basket of nuts, 5 other small ones, 1 wicker crate, 1 sheepskin, 1 scraper, 8 pairs of men's ...., 6 pairs of women's ditto, 2 donkey straps (?), 1 horse's ditto, 1 three-flagon jar,1 bag (?) of ..., 2 hold-alls containing 3 half-sets of glass, 4 ... cups and 1 ..., 4 plates, 2 bowls, 1 saucer."  

_______________________________________________________________

No. 742.    Letter of Antas.      26.5 x 13.7 cm.        2  BC

A letter from Antas to Faustus, chiefly concerning reeds (kalamos), written like many other letters of this period in vulgar Greek.
 
translation:
"Antas to Faustus, many greetings. Take over from Pothus the reeds all together, and send me word how many bundles you have received, and put them in a safe place in order that we may take them on the journey up. Deliver a certain number of them to one of our friends in order that a friend may deliver them to me safely, and if you can . . . give your attention to it . . . I have bought from (Pothus?) the 1000 bundles for 15  drachmae. Don't forget. Good-bye. The 28th year of Caesar, Pauni i. (Addressed) To Faustus ... at Nekle."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 743.    Letter to a Friend.     21.5 x 17.7 cm.         2  BC

A letter in two columns, of which the first is much broken. The greater part is concerned with the explanation of the writer's reasons for sending Damas, whom he recommends to his friend's good offices.

translation:
"...I wish you and the . . . of Caesar to read this (?), for although I (?) have had trouble with others you must assist him for the sake of our friendship. I am quite upset at Helenos' loss of the money ; for when Damas arrived at Alexandria we came to Epaphroditus, and it was discovered that he had neither received nor paid anything. I wish you therefore to know this that I had given him orders to go to Takona for the rents, and now I have dispatched him to collect them all and have entrusted to him the care of the whole matter. Whatever service he may require from you, stand by him, as he will agree in everything for you just as for me. Owing to my worries I was unable to meet Apollonius the Libyan in order to inform him of this. Write to me yourself about anything you want, and I will do it without hesitation; for Damas has agreed in everything with me. It is well for him to come quickly, for lie will instruct you. Take care of yourself so that you may remain in good health. Look after all your household. Good-bye. The 29th year of Caesar, Phaophi 6."


_______________________________________________________________

No. 744.    Letter of Ilarion.    25 x 14.7 cm.     1  BC

A letter from a man who had gone to Alexandria, addressed to his sister (who was no doubt his wife), and to two other women, regarding certain domestic matters. A curious injunction occurs in 11. 9-10.

translation:
" Ilarion to Alis his sister, many greetings, and to my dear Berous and Apollonarion. Know that I am still even now at Alexandria; and do not worry if they come back altogether (?), but I remain at Alexandria. I urge and entreat you to be careful of the child, and if I receive a present soon I will send it up to you. If (Apollonarion .') bears offspring, if it is a male let it be, if a female expose it. You told Aphrodisias " Don't forget me." How can I forget you? I urge you therefore not to worry. The 29th year of Caesar, Pauni 23. (Addressed.) Deliver from Ilarion to Alis."

_______________________________________________________________

No. 745.    Letter to Gaius Rustius.    11.1 x 18.8 cm.    About AD 1.

Conclusion of a letter, chiefly concerned with money matters. The writer had evidently been in financial difficulties, and was afraid of their recurrence ; but the loss of the beginning of the letter makes the transactions under discussion rather obscure. The addressee has a Roman name.

translation:
". . . from my sister 65 jars of wine and 1 drachmae, and you bought the wine at 6 drachmae, for which you drew me up a bond through Artemas that the said Antas would make the repayment because you had ... as you promised through the politarch Theophilus, in order that everything may not be completely . . . and we go bankrupt again without any necessity. You don't know how he treated me at Oxyrhynchus(?), not like a man who had paid but like a defrauder and a debtor. I ask you therefore not to do otherwise ; but I know that you will do everything well. I do not want to have any dispute with you, as you are my friend. Salute all your household, and take care of your health. Good-bye. (Addressed) To Gaius Rustius . . "

_______________________________________________________________

No.746.    Letter of Recommendation.     23.2 x 13.5 cm.         AD 16.

 A letter from Theon to his brother Heraclides, a basilicogrammateus, introducing the bearer, Hermophilus. Theon is perhaps the same as the writer of 292, a similar letter of recommendation addressed to the dioecetes on behalf of a brother named Heraclides. Cf. also 787.

translation:
' Theon to Heraclides his brother, many greetings and wishes for good health. Hermophilus the bearer of this letter is (the friend or relative) of . . erius, and asked me to write to you. Hermophilus declares that he has business at Kerkemounis. Please therefore further him in this matter, as is just. For the rest take care of yourself that you may remain in good health. Good-bye. The 3rd year of Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Phaophi 3. (Addressed) To Heraclides, basilicogrammateus of the Oxyrhynchite and Cynopolite nomes.'

_______________________________________________________________

No. 747.  Invitation to a Feast.    5.1 x 7.3 cm.      Late second or third c. AD.

An invitation to a feast given by a cavalry officer; cf. 110 and 523.

translation:
" The decurion invites you to his party on the sixth day before the Calends at eight
o'clock."


Footnotes:

1. [Editor's Note:]  The original textual commentaries and notes
provided by Grenfell and Hunt on passages in Greek, and on some bibliographic references,  have frequently been abbreviated or omitted, if not essential to understanding the content of the papyri documents. Any such omissions are marked with "....", and any added words needed for clarity are placed between brackets [ ]. These elisions are separate from those used by Grenfell and Hunt in the translated text, which have not been altered.

2. [Editor's Note:] References to all other papyri from the Oxyrhynchus collections are given with their sequential number as "No. xx". Abbreviations to other papyri collections and standard historical references used by Grenfell and Hunt include the following:

Archiv.= Archiv fur Papyrusforschung.
B.G.U
. = Aeg. Urkunden aus den K. Museum zu Berlin, Griechische Urkunden.

C.I.G. = Corpus Inscriptionum Graecarum
C.I.L. = Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
Cod. Just.= Codex Justianus
Cod. Theod.= Codex Theodosianus
C.P.R. =
Corpus Papyrorum Raineri, by C. Wessely.
Marcellinus =The late Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus.
P. Amh
. = The Amherst Papyri (Greek), Vols. I-II, by B.P.Grenfell and A.S.Hunt.

P. Brit.Mus. = Greek papyri in the British Museum, vol.I-II by F.G. Kenyon.
P. Cairo
= Catalog of the Greek Papyri in the Cairo Museum,by Grenfell & Hunt.
P. Grenf. = Greek Papyri, Ser. 1 by B.P. Grenfell, and Ser. II by Grenfell and Hunt
P. Hibeh = The Hibeh Papyri by B.P Grenfell and A.S. Hunt
P. Leipzig =
Griechische Urkunden der Papyrussammlung zu Leipzig by I Mitteis.

P. Leyden = Papyri Graeci Musei Antiquarii Lugduni-Batavi, by C. Leemans.
P. Tebt
. = The Tebtunis Papyri, by B.P. Grenfell, A.S. Hunt, et al.
Perseus = the satirical ancient Roman playwright Perseus. 
Wilcken, Ost. = Griechische Ostraka, by U. Wilcken.


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