Private letter. The Emperor Aurelian and the Corrector Firmus in a private context

Description

Private letter. Neither the name of the sender nor that of the recipient has survived, but it is clear that the sender has been appointed as a legionary by Firmus, a corrector of Egypt. The sender seems to object to something connected with this appointment (ll. 4-50, possibly because he is being sent to Syria (ll. 5-7) at the time when the emperor Aurelian was there. After a few lines obscured by damage (9-13), the writer apparently reports that his military title has not been included yet in the registers of the legio secunda Traiana Fortis Aureliana. This legion in this period was stationed in Nikopolis, near Alexandria. Given the circumstances and since the papyrus comes from Karanis, it is tempting to speculate that the recipient (probably a parent or sibling) lived there. If the sender is the legionary mentioned in the letter, then perhaps he is writing from Nikopolis. Other possibilities, of course, cannot be excluded.