Edict of Flavius Titanus

Description

On the recto is a long contract for a loan of money dated in the tenth year of Hadrian (P.Oxy.496). On the verso are three documents: the first, occupying the first two columns, is a copy of an important proclamation by Flavius Titanus, praefect of Egypt in the eleventh year of Hadrian, concerning the duties of officials connected with the local archives throughout Egypt, and their relations with the central state archives deposited in the newly built 'Libary of Hadrian' at Alexandria. The third column is another proclamation, in the same hand, by the same praefect dated a few months later, and enforcing obedience to the provisions of the first edict by the threat of penalties. The fourth column is a letter from Apollonius to Horion, in which Apollonius says that in order to draw Horion's attention to the second edict, he had subjoined a copy of it.