Fragmentary private letter of the second half of the 2nd century AD from a soldier's milieu, mentioning the prefect's permission to release the writer's brother until an allotment of offices due in Mecheir. It sends many greetings, asks for a reply explaining the reason before the allotment, and arranges delivery of a letter of Marcus the standard-bearer via Valerius Rufus.
In English machine translation
[recto]
[…] […] […] […] […]
[…] to have asked […] saying
saying: "He is my brother, and the prefect has consented (?) to release him until the allotment." For the allotment is in Mecheir. I greet you warmly, and your brothers and your mother with all yours, and […] your child, may the evil eye not touch it, […] and Antoninus the brother […] and all his household. Greet […] Berene… and Sator[…] and Hadrian the brother.
Greet […]minus the fellow soldier […] and write back to me the reason […] of the letter itself before the allotment of the offices.
You will deliver to Hermias the letter of Marcus the standard-bearer. I wrote the letter to you so that I might send it to you through Valerius Rufus […] while I am not at all distracted.
[verso]
Deliver […]
The "allotment of the offices" (kleros ton offikion) seems to refer to assignment of military or administrative posts; the verb rendered "consented" is uncertain in form.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter Concerning a Soldier). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.