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Letter of Philokles about Claudius, money received and purchases TM 144954Didymoi

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 →

Ostracon letter written by Philokles at the desert station of Didymoi, without a prescript, apparently to a woman close to him. He vows to avenge an insult done to her by Claudius and his wife, reports receiving money from Teisimachos and a gardener but not yet from the contractor, mentions buying salt and barley, and reproaches her for her conduct.

In English machine translation

[convex side] You know that if Claudius gives work to come here, he will certainly not trouble me. But if he comes here, and if he stays there, I will pay him back for the insult which they did to you during the time that his wife did it here, and I did not allow anyone to insult her. You know also that, if he comes here, the gods willing and Pan, he will certainly not shake me, but I will pay them back for the in- [concave side] sult which they did to you. You know that he will certainly not defeat me if it is about money. I want you to know that I received the money from Teisimachos and from the gardener; from the contractor I have not yet received it. I bought 4 matia of salt and half an artaba of barley. I told you that I do not want that without me (?) ... But you again, holding back your neck (?), make everything scattered like salt (?). I here squeeze myself and add to you (?) ... in order that I may do ... until (?) ...

The phrases about the 'neck' and 'everything salt-scattered' (halisparta) are obscure, and the translation there is tentative. A mation is a small dry measure.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letters Written in Philokles' Hand but without a Prescript). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.

DDbDP-text Full record →

o.did.393

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · Didymoi

[side convex] οἶδας ὅτι Κλαύδις ἂν δοῖ ἐργασίαν τῷ ὧδε ἐλθεῖν οὐ μή με ταράξει. ἂν δὲ ὧδε ἔλθῃ, ἂν δὲ ἐκεῖ μένῃ, ἀποδώσω αὐτῷ τὴν ὕβριν ἥν σοι ἐποίησαν τέως ὃν χρόνον ἐποίησεν ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ὧδε καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκα οὐδένα αὐτὴν ὑβρίσαι. οἶδας καί, ὧδε ἂν ἔλθῃ, τῶν θεῶν θελόντων καὶ τοῦ Π…