Fragment of a petition
A fragment of a petition from an Egyptian who seems to have been imprisoned for failing to execute a contract.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 1270
Petition of a detained man asking release to finish his work TM 1270Kharabet el Gerza (ancient Philadelphia)mid 3rd c. B.C.
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 →
Fragment of a petition, apparently from the Zenon archive, in which a man held in custody begs to be released, promising to finish the work in hand within forty days. He offers a written undertaking before witnesses at Krokodilopolis or Memphis and says he has been punished enough. Mid 3rd century BC, Arsinoite nome.
In English machine translation
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[…] I ask, as I have often done, to be released and to obtain relief, so that I may also be freed […] I see (?). For not even forty days will pass and the work will be completed. And so that you may not distrust me, I will give you a written undertaking before witnesses, if you wish, in Krokodilopolis or in Memphis, to complete the work in hand and any other that you may order; for I have been punished enough. I beg you not to overlook me […]
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The records disagree on place: one gives Krokodilopolis, another Philadelphia (Kharabet el Gerza), where the Zenon archive was found. The petitioner seems to have been confined for failing to carry out a contracted job.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Fragment of 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.cair.zen.4.59639
[… ? lines lost …] […]…[…]…μ[…] […]κωθ…[…]αι ἀξιῶ πλεονάκις λυθῆναι καὶ ἄνεσιν λαβεῖν, ἵνα καὶ ἀπολύωμαι κ… …νελ…[…]… διαβλέπω. ἡμέραι γὰρ οὐ μὴ γένωνται τεσσαράκοντα καὶ τὸ ἔργον συντελεσθήσεται. ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἀπιστεύεις, ἐναντίον ἀνδρῶν ἐάν τε βούλῃ ἐν Κροκοδίλων σοι πόλει χειρογρα…