Contract [July-August 287 AD]
Agreement cncerning the appointment of komarchs of Philadelphia for three successive years: Aurelius Hol agrees to nominate Cornelius to the post on condition that Cornelius nominate Hol's brother for the following term
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 10564
Agreement on succession to the komarchy of Philadelphia TM 10564Philadelphia (Arsinoites)287 CE
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
An agreement between two villagers of Philadelphia in the Fayum: the current village headman (komarch), Aurelius Hol, undertakes to nominate Aurelius Cornelius as komarch for the next year, and the following year Cornelius's brother Dioskoros is to be nominated in turn. Breach is penalized at 2,000 silver drachmas. It dates to July-August 287.
In English machine translation
The Aurelii, Hol son of Kopres, his mother being Apillas, from the village of Philadelphia, komarch for the current year 3 and 2, and Cornelius son of Posis, his mother being Iouliane, from the same village, to one another, greetings. Since I happen to be komarch of the same village, we have accordingly agreed with one another that I, Hol, shall nominate you, Cornelius, to the komarchy of the same village for the coming year, you serving the prescribed term of one year; and when I (?), Cornelius, have completed it, in like manner I too shall nominate your full brother Dioskoros for the following year, he too serving the same one-year term; and likewise that I, Hol, have stood surety […] the brother Dioskoros for the same period, so that it shall not be permitted to either of us to transgress the terms written in the agreement by force; and if either wrongs the other concerning this, the transgressor shall pay to the one abiding by it, as penalty and on account of the injury, 2,000 drachmas of silver, because they have agreed with one another on these terms; and having been asked the formal question, we have acknowledged it.
Aurelius Hol, aged about 30, with a scar above the right eyebrow.
Year 3 of our lord Diocletian and year 2 of our lord Maximian, Augusti […]
A komarch was a village headman, a liturgical post filled by nomination of the outgoing holder. The text is confused in the persons speaking: the clause about nominating Dioskoros appears to switch speaker, and the catalogue describes Dioskoros as Hol's brother, though the Greek calls him Cornelius's brother.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Agreement Concerning Succession to a Komarchy). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
p.col.10.281
Αὐρήλιοι Ὃλ Κοπρῆ μητρὸς Ἀπιλλᾶς ἀπὸ κώμης Φιλαδελφίας κωμάρχης τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος γ ἔτους καὶ β ἔτους καὶ Κορνήλιος Πόσι μητρὸς Εἰουλιανῆς ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς κώμης ἀλλήλοις χαίρειν. ἐπεὶ τυγχάνω ὢν κώμαρχος τῆς αὐτῆς κώμης ἐντεῦθεν συνεθέμεθα πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὥστʼ ἐμὲ τὸν Ὃλ ἀγγεῖλαι σὲ τὸν …