Organizing the Tax Collection

Description

The sender gives instructions about the transport of wheat from several villages to the granary of Madinat al-Fayyum. Most of the letter is dedicated to the villagers appointed to supervise the collection and transportation of the wheat. The sender writes that they will receive a share of the wheat as a payment for providing transport animals and for handling the wheat, but emphasizes that they should not be allowed to take anything more than that. The recipient of the letter should have receipts written for those handing in their taxes. The sender stresses that only the strongest and best men of the villages should be appointed over this work. Those standing guarantee for the collection too should be chosen from among the solvent villagers and the names of both the qabb��l, receivers, and of the guarantors should be written down and sent to the sender.53 Finally, the sender mentions that if anyone sells his wheat in town after this letter for a higher price than has been determined in the letter, the addressee should accept no money value instead of the demanded wheat.;The following documents are addressed to the same recipient: P.Mich.Inv. 5558(1); 5629; 5624; 5627; 5578(1); 5558(2); 5578(2); 5578(3); 5578(4); 5578(5); 5578(7); 5578(6); 5610; 5613(B); 5625 (A); 5620; 5619; 5613(A); 5578(9); 5622; 5609; 5621; 5623; 5625(1); 2526(B); 5631; 5578(8).