Petition, Roman CE 171, Jun 14
To the strategos Potamon, from temple priests, requesting exemption from laboring on distant canal dikes
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 14145
Petition of priests of Bakchias against compulsory dike work far from the village TM 14145Bakchias (Arsinoites)Roman CE 171, Jun 14
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 →
Petition from Peteuris, Sisoïs and the other priests of the temple at Bakchias to Potamon, strategos of the Herakleides division of the Arsinoite nome. They complain that a dike official appointed by the shore-guard is forcing them to do compulsory dike work far from the village, contrary to custom, and ask to work only near the village so they can keep up daily worship for the emperor and the Nile flood. Dated 14 June 171.
In English machine translation
To Potamon, strategos of the Herakleides division of the Arsinoite nome,
from Peteuris son of Peteuris and Sisoïs son of Orsenouphis and the other priests of the temple in the village of Bakchias.
Since it is customary for us to be taken for dike works in no other places than only at the canal called Patsontis, from which the lands around the village are watered and which flows down into the reservoirs below it, but now the ekboleus appointed by the shore-guard is forcing us, contrary to custom, to work in other places far from the village, we ask, if it seems good to you, that you order him to desist from his abuse against us, so that we may, working in the customary places near the village, perform every day the worship of the gods carried out for the preservation of our lord emperor Aurelius Antoninus Caesar and for the full rise of the most sacred Nile, so that we may have received help.
Peteuris, aged 40, without distinguishing marks.
Sisoïs, aged 35, without distinguishing marks.
Year 11 of Aurelius Antoninus Caesar the lord, Pauni 20.
The ekboleus was a local official overseeing dike and canal clearance work; the aigialophylax (shore-guard) supervised land along the lake shore. The emperor named is Marcus Aurelius.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Eingabe von Priestern an den Strategen des Herakleidesbezirkes wegen unrechtmäßiger Heranziehung zu liturgischen Dienstleistungen durch einen Deichbeamten (ἐκβολεύς)). 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.bacch.19
Ποτάμωνι στρατηγῷ Ἀρσινοίτου Ἡρακλείδου μερίδος παρὰ Πετεύριος Πετεύριος καὶ Σισόιτος Ὀρσενούφεως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἱερέων ἱεροῦ τοῦ ὄντος ἐν κώμῃ Βακχιάδι. ἐπεὶ ἔθος ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἄγεσθαι εἰς χωματικὰ ἔργα οὐκ ἐν ἄλλοις τόποις, εἰ μόνον ἐν διώρυγι Πατσώντεως λεγομένῃ ἀφʼ ἧς τά τε περὶ…