Letter from Gemellus to Sabinus
Letter from Gemellus to Sabinus with instructions to send to Elouras gifts of olives and fish upon his becoming deputy to the strategus Erasus, "as we want to make use of him." (Grenfell, Hunt, & Hogarth)
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 10782
Letter from Gemellus to his son Sabinus about gifts for the new acting strategos TM 10782Kasr el Banat (Fayum)108 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 →
A private letter from the landowner Lucius Bellenus Gemellus to his son Sabinus, telling him that the royal scribe Elouras is taking over as acting strategos and asking him to send gifts of olives and fish, along with supplies, cabbages and horses, for the household and for the festival of Harpokrates. Written on 12 Tybi of Trajan's 11th year (AD 108) at Euhemeria in the Fayum.
In English machine translation
[recto]
Lucius Bellenus Gemellus to Sabinus his son, greeting and continued good fortune. Know that Elouras the royal scribe is succeeding to the strategia of Erasos, by letter of his highness the prefect. If you think fit, send him 1 artaba of olives and some small fish, since we have need of him. You will send us at home some spices (?) and olives, since they have no new olives at home. You will send the god-bearers (?), since Erasos will probably hold the Harpocrateia here on the 14th, and send him the cabbages. Load all the animals with cabbage, and we shall send him five [...] of cabbage, and the same to the house. Know that [...] has received the three-ply [...] of Erasos for 300 drachmas, and [...] of his has been made. Therefore I write to you so that [...] the horses, which you take and exchange so that he may receive them. Shake out the [...] (?) so that you may be free from care. As for what you wrote to me, not to keep quiet about the builder, it has been written needlessly, and you write to me too much that I should be grateful to the village when they have registered four staters against you. I pray for your health for all time. Year 11 of Trajan Caesar the lord, Tybi 12.
[verso]
Deliver to Sabinus his son from Lucius Bellenus Gemellus.
The basilikos grammateus (royal scribe) customarily deputised for the strategos, the nome governor. Several words (theiotas, dieiron, trisellon) are obscure and their translation is uncertain.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter from Gemellus to Sabinus). 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.fay.117
[r] Λούκιος Βελλῆνος Γέμελλος Σαβίνωι τῶι υἱῶι χαίρειν καὶ διὰ παντὸς εὐτυχεῖν. γίγνωσκε Ἐλουρᾶν τὸν βασιλικὸν διαδέχεσθαι τὴν στρατηγείαν Ἐράσου ἐξ ἐπιστολῆς τοῦ κρατίστου ἡγεμόνος. ἐάν συ δόξῃ πέμψαι αὐτῷ ἐλᾶς ἀρτάβην α καὶ ἰχθύδιον ἐπεὶ χρείαν αὐτοῦ ἔχομεν. πέμψεις ἡμῖν εἰς οἶ…