Petition of Diogenes to the archidikastes about his wife and daughter TM 12417Tebtynis (Arsinoites)ca. 140

To Tiberius Claudius Serenus, priest, archidikastes, from Diogenes son of Chration, of those from the village of Tebtynis in the Arsinoite nome. While I was in a dispute with my wife, who is also my sister, I was robbed of the things carried off from my house by a band of robbers. After this […] Ptolema(?) […] her own brother(?) […] of the house she had another son, a minor. When I came back up from Alexandria, my aforementioned daughter Ptolema, in collusion with her mother, denied […] the things I had deposited with her; and likewise her mother tried to deprive me of the debts and property and other things that I hold in her name. And when Ptolema asked for her marriage to be dissolved, so that she might carry off my belongings and squander them, I went before Aelius Numisianus, strategos of the Arsinoite nome, before whom some things were admitted. Therefore, having authority over my daughter according to the laws, I ask you, lord, if it seems good to you, to write to the same strategos Aelius Numisianus to carry out the examination of the remaining matters before the dissolution of the marriage. I also petitioned the former epistrategos Julius Petronianus by a petition, and he subscribed that the same strategos should put an end to the matter. Since, then, my opponents, having learned this, came down to you thinking they could deceive you, I report to you so that you may know, and I necessarily ask you to write to the strategos, so that I may receive help.