Petition
Fragmentary petition from a certain Aurelius Heron, who has been compelled to take up for the second time the office of horiodeiktes(?), following the death of the man who had held the post after him
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 12026
Petition of Aurelius Heron against renomination as boundary-surveyor TM 12026Karanis (Arsinoites, Ägypten)IIIrd century A.D., not later than 277/278 A.D. (April 26)
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 →
Fragmentary petition from Aurelius Heron of Karanis to a high official, complaining that after the death of the man who had succeeded him, the village heads were forcing him again to serve as boundary-surveyor, a post he had already filled at his own expense about two years earlier. He asks that the strategos be instructed to stop this abuse; the official's reply refers him to the strategos.
In English machine translation
[recto]
[... lines lost ...]
[...] ... and what is ... [...]
... [...] of the affairs [...]
... of those attempting on their own account [...]
to be, and I happened to be and am, having once been compelled,
almost two years ago, so to speak,
to undertake for administration the matters concerning my village, out of my own resources, for a short
time, fulfilling (the duty) as I said before.
Then, when a most experienced man appeared,
I mean Heron son of Kopres, he filled the post of
boundary-surveyor (horiodeiktes) and administered (it)
[...] of the collector
[...] administered jointly
[...] having departed this life
[...] the village heads of the village [...] put forward (me), compelling (?) [...] to fill this (post)
[...] the things done [...]
[...] the position ... [...]
... [...] through a report submitted
by me but through ... [...] a written list of the nomination
having been made ... I beg your Courage to order, through your command, the strategos,
a most reasonable man in accord with your just judgement, that no folly (?) be done on the pretext of the
boundary-surveyorship, and that I may be helped by you. Farewell.
I, Aurelius Heron, have submitted (this).
Year 3, Pachon 1. Apply to the strategos,
who will see to what is just. Sheet 50, roll 3.
[verso]
Petition [and] case of [...]
The horiodeiktes ('boundary-indicator') was a village liturgical officer concerned with land boundaries; the exact function is uncertain. The subscription with sheet and roll numbers shows the petition was filed in an official roll.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Petition). 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.9.530
[r] [… ? lines lost …] […]…και τί ἐστιν …[…] …[…]τῶν πραγμάτων […] ξεως τῶν καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς πειρωμένων […] εἶναι καὶ ἐτύγχανον καί εἰμι ἀναγκασθείς ποτε σχεδὸν εἰπεῖν πρὸ ἐτῶν δύο τὰ πρὸς διοίκησιν ποιήσασθαι τῶν διαφερόντων τῇ ἐμῇ κώμῃ ἐξ ἰδίων πρὸς βραχύν τινα χρόνον ἀποπληρῶν ὡς …