Petition to a Prefect
Petition to the prefect Titus Haterius Nepos by a woman, Sarapous, concerning property she has inherited from her deceased husband, Peteeus, property which Peteeus's brother lays claim to and has even partly stolen.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 12021
Petition of Sarapous to the prefect about her brother-in-law's seizure of property TM 12021Karanis, Herakleidou meris, Arsinoite nome, province of Egypt119-124 A.D.
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 petition from Sarapous of Karanis to the prefect of Egypt, Titus Haterius Nepos, complaining that her late husband Peteeus's brother is forcibly claiming the property left to her and her two orphaned children, and broke into the house at night and carried off its contents. She notes that the village police chief certified the brother as the intruder and asks the prefect to hear her case.
In English machine translation
To Titus Haterius Nepos, prefect of Egypt,
from Sarapous daughter of Petnes son of Tithoes, of those from the village of Karanis in the Arsinoite nome. My husband Peteeus, from the same village, died leaving two orphaned children, Theon and […]nais (?), and grain property and house plots and household furnishings, all of which […] the brother of my aforementioned husband violently lays claim to. Moreover, in addition […] he himself entered into the house by night and carried off everything in the house […] in […] manner. Therefore I brought up the chief of police of the village, who certified in writing that the aforementioned brother was the one who had attacked. Therefore I have made this [petition] to you […] to hear [me] […] so that I may be benefited.
Farewell.
The name of the second child is only partly preserved. The archephodos was the village chief of police, who here gave a signed written statement.
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 the Prefect). 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.mich.9.525
Τίτῳ Ἁτερίῳ Νέπωτι ἐπάρχῳ Αἰγύπτου παρὰ Σαραποῦτος Πετνῆτος τοῦ Τιθόιτος τῶν ἀπὸ κώμης Καρανίδος τοῦ Ἀρσινοείτου. ὁ ἀνήρ μου Πετεεῦς ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς κώμης ἐτελεύτησε καταλιπὼν ὀρφανὰ τέκνα δύο Θέωνα καὶ[…]…ναιν καὶ σιτικὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ οἰκόπεδα καὶ ἐνδομενίαν, ἅπερ πάντα βιαίως ἀντ…