Petition from Aurelius Isidoros of Karanis to the strategos of the Arsinoite nome, complaining that Akotas son of Ptolemaios has demanded from him gold and silver levies on land that Akotas himself farms. Isidoros asks that Akotas be summoned and that the boundary-surveyor and neighbours testify whether he ever farmed the land; dated AD 310.
In English machine translation
To Aurelius Chrestos, strategos of the Arsinoite nome,
from Aurelius Isidoros son of Ptolemaios, from the village of Karanis in the same nome. It has often been ordained by the laws that no one should be oppressed beyond his obligations or subjected to extortion. I myself, then, have been improperly and recklessly called upon to pay 3 grammata of gold and 8 grammata of uncoined silver by Akotas son of Ptolemaios, from the same village, on behalf of the arouras which he himself has always farmed, formerly belonging to Horion, former magistrate and councillor, and for which he pays all the public dues and the annona up to the present day, although I have never leased or farmed these arouras, as the investigations conducted through the neighbouring landholders and the boundary-surveyor show; and people ought not simply to be treated unlawfully, especially since I have paid, for the 140 arouras for which I was registered, the gold and uncoined silver and the other things due to the treasury. Akotas has done this not for the benefit of the collections but in order that I should be driven from my own property contrary to the divine laws, having no regard for the fear of my lord the most perfect Sossianus Hierocles and of my lord the most perfect catholicus Aurelius Sarapion, especially while he is present in the district. And if this were permitted to the unreasonable, long ago none of the people of modest means would have survived. Of necessity I submit to you this written petition, asking that he be brought before you and that effective proofs be made through the boundary-surveyor and the neighbouring landholders whether I ever farmed this land, so that my case may stand […].
In the consulship of Tatius Andronicus and Pompeius Probus, the most illustrious prefects.
I, Aurelius Isidoros, have submitted this.
I, Aurelius […], wrote on his behalf, as he is illiterate.
A gramma was a small weight (about 1/24 ounce) used for levies of gold and uncoined silver. Sossianus Hierocles was then prefect of Egypt and the catholicus was a senior financial official.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Petition to a Strategos). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.