The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 2 records across 2 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A private letter on an ostracon from Iulius to his "brother" Antonius, found at the Roman fort of Didymoi in the Eastern Desert. Iulius sends a whetstone on approval, offering a larger one if it suits, and reports that frankincense is available at Kompasi for 3 staters but not where he is.
The word akonion means a whetstone or hone; a "medical" akonion was probably a fine stone used for grinding or applying medicaments. Kompasi was another station on the Koptos to Berenike road.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letters from Iulius to Valerius, Antonius, and Dolens. Sertorius). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
Ἰούλιος Ἀντωνίωι τῶι ἀδελ φῶι χαίρειν· γράφεις μοι λέγων ὅτι πέμψον μοι ἀκόνιον. εἰ μὲν εἰς σιδήρια, γράψον μοι, εἰ δὲ ἰατρικὴν ζητεῖς, οὐκ ἔνι ὧδε. κόμισαι ἐπὶ λόγῳ τοῦτο τὸ ἀκόνιον. ἄν σοι ἀρέσῃ, πέμψον μοι ὅτι ἀρέσκει καὶ μείζω σοι πέμψω. περὶ τοῦ λιβάνου, ἔπεμψα εἰς Κομπασι κ…
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