Application for Lease of a Palm Grove
Offer, made by Petheus son of Kollouthos to Sokrates son of Sarapion, to lease for several years some land in which palm trees are planted but which is probably also used for the raising of grain crops.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 12056
Offer to lease one aroura of palm grove near Patsontis TM 12056Karanis, Herakleidou meris, Arsinoite nome, province of EgyptNovember 29, 150 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 →
An offer by Petheus son of Kollouthos of Karanis to lease for three years from Sokrates son of Sarapion one aroura of royal land planted as a palm grove near Patsontis, paying the public dues and doing all the farm work. A scribe, Herakles, signed for the illiterate Petheus. Written at Karanis in AD 150.
In English machine translation
To Sokrates son of Sarapion, cleruch of the 90-aroura cleruchy,
from Petheus son of Kollouthos, from the village of Karanis. I wish to lease for three years, from the present 14th year of Antoninus Caesar the lord, for two sowings and harvests, the 1 aroura of palm grove which you cultivate from the same cleruchy near Patsontis, of royal land, in the place called Tatnouei, in return for all the public dues on it; and I will carry out all the agricultural work, and I will measure out the rents to the public granary. You will guarantee to me all the payments made to the public bank. If it seems good to you, grant the lease on the above terms.
I, Petheus the aforementioned, have leased from you as stated above. I, Herakles […], wrote on his behalf since he does not know letters.
Year 14 of Antoninus Caesar the lord, Choiak 3.
The rent consists of the public taxes and dues on the land rather than a payment to the lessor. A cleruch was a holder of an allotment originally granted for military service; the 90-aroura cleruchy names a category of such allotments.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Application for Lease of a Palm Grove). 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.9.564
Σωκράτει Σαραπίωνος κληρούχῳ ϙ κληρουχίας παρὰ Πεθέως τοῦ Κολλούθου ἀπὸ κώμης Καρανίδος. βούλομαι μισθώσασθαι εἰς ἔτη τρία ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος ιδ ἔτους Ἀντωνίνου Καίσαρος τοῦ κυρίου σπορὰς καὶ καρποὺς δύο ἃς γεωργεῖς ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς κληρουχίας περὶ Πατσῶντιν βασιλικῆς γῆς ἐν τόπῳ Τατν…