Copy of a loan agreement from Tebtynis, AD 146, in which Tephorsais, with her brother-husband Harpaesis as guardian, acknowledges receiving 200 drachmas from Thaesis, bringing her total debt to 500 drachmas. Instead of interest, Thaesis receives the use of the produce of 2 1/2 arouras of catoecic land, with Tephorsais paying the public dues.
In English machine translation
Copy of an agreement. Year 10 of Antoninus Caesar the lord, Hathyr […], at Tebtynis in the division of Polemon of the Arsinoite nome. Tephorsais daughter of Kronion son of Cheos, of those from Tebtynis, aged […], with a scar on the forearm (?) […], acknowledges, with as guardian her brother and also husband Harpaesis, aged 50, with a scar on the left wrist,
to Thaesis daughter of Papontos, aged 40, with a scar on the left hand, with as guardian her son Heron son of […]ysios (?), aged 40, without distinguishing marks, that she has received from her, Thaesis, forthwith from hand to hand, a loan of silver of the capital sum of 200 drachmas, apart from the other sums which Tephorsais owes her under an agreement of deposit made in the present year 10 of Antoninus the lord, Thoth 6, of 300 silver drachmas, making together 500 drachmas. And as they agreed with each other, in place of interest Tephorsais grants to Thaesis […] to enjoy the produce, if she chooses, for her own use from the present tenth year, of 2 1/2 arouras of catoecic allotment and … arouras of village epibole, from the northern part of the allotment of Horytynis (?) toward the east, out of the 9 arouras of catoecic allotment belonging to Tephorsais near Tebtynis, together with the epibole of 7 1/2 arouras, making together 16 1/2 arouras, in place of interest, from the present tenth year, Hathyr, on the aforesaid 500 drachmas, the public dues on the 2 1/2 arouras for Thaesis all being the responsibility of Tephorsais and her successors, Thaesis and her successors having the enjoyment of the produce on the aforesaid terms and from the whole of the present year … of the enjoyment of produce. Tephorsais will guarantee as aforesaid to Thaesis; [Thaesis may] exact the aforesaid 500 drachmas by means of what has been agreed between them on these matters, and the watering channel of the aforesaid 2 1/2 arouras […] from the eastern allotment.
Writer for her: …rios son of Kronion, aged about […]
This is an antichretic loan: the creditor takes the produce of land instead of interest. Epibole refers to additional land assigned for cultivation, here attached to the catoecic allotment.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Prestito). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.