Account of daily expenses
An account of daily expenses. Some of the items appear to be for the feast of Adonis.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 1329
Account of daily expenses for food, oil and baths TM 1329Kharabet 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 →
A day-by-day household account from the Zenon archive at Philadelphia, mid 3rd century BC, recording small purchases of food, oil, bath fees and other items over the 25th to 28th of a month, with running balances of copper money and oil. The purchases on the 28th, including garlands, nuts and mixing bowls, may relate to a festival such as the Adonia.
In English machine translation
Of these:
relish 2 1/2 obols, cooking vegetables 1/2 obol 1/4 obol, salt 1/2 obol,
vegetables 1/4 obol, oysters 1/2 obol, total 4 1/2 obols
oil 1/2 1/8 kotyle
remainder in copper 1 drachma 4 obols, oil 9 1/8 kotylai
26th. From the account, in copper 1 drachma 4 obols, oil 9 1/8 kotylai
Of these:
oil 1/2 kotyle; remainder in copper 1 drachma 4 obols, oil 8 1/2 1/8 kotylai
Of these:
relish 2 1/2 obols, oysters 1/2 obol 1/4 obol, cooking vegetables 1/2 obol,
[…] lettuces 1/4 obol, oil [1/2 kotyle]
[total] 5 1/4 obols; remainder in copper 4 1/2 1/4 obols, oil [8 1/8 kotylai]
[27th.] relish 2 1/4 obols, oysters 1/2 obol 1/4 obol, lettuces 1/4 obol, cooking vegetables 1/4 obol, oil 1/2 kotyle,
milk 1 obol, and spent on the bath on the
25th and 26th 1 1/4 obols, total 5 1/4 obols
overspent 1/2 obol; remainder of oil 7 1/2 1/8 kotylai
[28th.] I have from Sa[…] ⟦Karpos⟧ […] 4 drachmas
and from the account oil 7 1/2 1/8 kotylai
Of this:
the amount overspent 1/2 obol; remainder 3 (drachmas) 5 1/2 obols
nuts 1/2 choinix 2 obols, Pontic nuts 1/2 choinix 2 obols,
beans 1 1/2 choinikes 3 obols, garlands 1 drachma 2 obols,
to the water-carrier 1/2 obol, loaves 6 coppers, total 2 (obols?) 2 obols 2 coppers (?)
little birds 2 obols, mushrooms 2 1/2 obols, meat 1 mina 2 1/2 obols,
cabbage 2 coppers, beet 2 coppers, to the barber …
little mixing bowls 1/2 obol, to the bath attendant …[…]
salt 1/2 obol, lettuces 1/4 obol, silphium juice 1/4 obol […]
sumac 1 copper, dry seasonings 1/4 obol […]
total 2 drachmas 1/4 (obol?)
altogether 4 drachmas ⟦3 obols⟧ 2 1/2 obols; overspent [3 obols]
oil 1 1/4 kotylai; remainder of oil 6 1/4 [1/8] kotylai
[…]
Opsos means a relish or side dish eaten with bread, often fish. The link to the feast of Adonis is a suggestion based on the items bought, not stated in the text.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Account of daily expenses). 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.4.59702
τούτων ὄψον ὀβολοὶ β 𐅵 λάχανα ἑψανὰ ἡμιωβέλιον ὀβολοῦ τέταρτον ἅλες ἡμιωβέλιον λάχανα ὀβολοῦ τέταρτον ὄστρεα ἡμιωβέλιον γίνονται ὀβολοὶ δ 𐅵 ἐλαίου κοτύλης 𐅵 η λοιπὸν χαλκοῦ δραχμὴ α τετρώβολον ἐλαίου κοτύλαι θ η κϛ ἐκ λόγου χαλκοῦ δραχμὴ α τετρώβολον ἐλαίου κοτύλαι θ η τούτων ἐλα…