Account of daily expenses
An account of daily expenses, possibly recording the beginning of a voyage down the river.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 1332
Account of daily expenses for food, bath and sundries TM 1332Kharabet 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 account of small expenses starting on Mesore 4, funded by money received from Spinther and the ship's captain Horos. It records purchases of bread, firewood, vinegar, oil, meat, eggs and payments to bath-attendants and a workman, and comes from the Zenon archive at Philadelphia in the mid-3rd century BC.
In English machine translation
Mesore 4.
I have received:
from Spinther 1 drachma 5 obols
from Horos the ship's captain 8 drachmas
Total 9 drachmas 5 obols, of which:
4th: to a workman who lifted the column 1/2 obol 1/4 obol
5th: vinegar 1/4 (obol); to the bath-attendant 1/4 obol
bread 1 obol; chamber pot 1/2 obol
necessaries 2 1/4 obols; total 5 obols
6th: bread 1/2 obol; salt 1/4 obol
titi (?) 1/2 obol; seasoning 1 chalkous
to the bath-attendant 1/4 obol; firewood 1 obol
necessaries 2 1/4 obols
Total 4 obols 7 chalkoi
7th: bread 2 obols; jar 1/4 obol
castor oil 1/2 obol; relish 1/2 obol 1/4 obol
firewood 1/2 obol; cooking pot 1/4 obol
eggs 1 1/2 obols; to Ophelion 1/2 obol
necessaries 2 1/4 obols
Total 1 (drachma) 2 3/4 obols
8th: to the bath-attendant 1/2 obol; […]
at the Delta […]
necessaries 2 1/4 obols […]
[9th]: meat 1/2 obol; firewood […]
vinegar 1/4 obol; lentils […]
vegetables 1/4 obol
to the bath-attendant 1/4 obol; bread […]
castor oil 1/2 obol 1/4 obol; necessaries 2 1/4 obols
Total 1 drachma 1 1/4 obols
10th: to the bath-attendant 1/4 obol; necessaries [2 1/4 obols; total 2 1/2 obols]
11th: to the bath-attendant 1/2 obol; castor oil 1/4 obol
necessaries 2 1/4 obols; total 3 obols
12th: sacrificial offering 1 obol; meat 1/2 obol
firewood 1/2 obol; chickpeas […]
bread 1/2 obol; […]
vinegar 1/4 obol; necessaries 2 1/4 obols
castor oil 1/4 obol; jar […] 1/2 obol
Total 1 drachma 1/2 obol 1/4 obol
[13th]: necessaries 2 1/4 obols
to the bath-attendant 1/2 obol
[…]
meat 1 1/2 obols; vinegar […]
salted fish 1/2 obol 1/4 obol
[…]
The mention of a ship's captain and 'at the Delta' suggests the account may record the start of a river voyage. 'Necessaries' (deonta) is a recurring daily allowance; 'titi' is an unexplained word.'
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.4.59705
Μεσορὴ δ ἔχω παρὰ Σπίνθηρος α πεντώβολον παρὰ Ὥρου κυβερνήτου δραχμὰς η γίνονται δραχμαὶ θ πεντώβολον ὧν δ ἐργάτηι τῶι τὴν κίονα ἄραντι ἡμιωβέλιον ὀβολοῦ τέταρτον ε ὄξος τέταρτον βαλανεῖ ὀβολοῦ τέταρτον ἄρτοι ὀβολὸς ἀμὶς ἡμιωβέλιον δέοντα ὀβολοὺς β δ γίνεται πεντώβολον ϛ ἄρτοι ἡμ…