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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 15153

Petition of the veteran Julius Valerius about violence over an irrigation channel TM 15153Kerkesucha (Arsinoites)200 - 203

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 petition by the veteran Julius Valerius, quoting an earlier petition he sent to the prefect of Egypt Quintus Maecius Laetus. He complains that a fellow veteran, Marcus Aurelius Nepheros, violently interfered with the irrigation channel he had built at great expense on land granted to discharged soldiers by the emperors near Kerkesoucha in the Arsinoite nome.

In English machine translation

[…] [From Julius] Valerius, veteran of those honourably [discharged]. Having appended a copy of the petition which I submitted to the most illustrious [prefect] Quintus Maecius Laetus [and] of his […] subscription, [I ask you to hear me] against my opposing [adversary and those …] him, Syros […] the brother […] likewise a veteran. [The copy of the] petition [is as follows]: To Quintus [Maecius] [Laetus, prefect of Egypt], from Julius Valerius, [veteran of those] honourably discharged. Having suffered violence […] [at the hands of] Marcus Aurelius Nepheros, [himself also] a veteran […], my petition is as follows. Since, [from the] benefaction [of our lords the] Emperors, which they granted [to the discharged] soldiers, I too obtained land […] [near the village of] Kerkesoucha of the division of Herakleides [of the Arsinoite] nome, I spent […] on this land, so that I might […] it and have from it the necessary [sustenance] […] and also a water channel, through which [I might carry out] the irrigation [of the land], having incurred very great expenses [on] […] and having spent much timber […] with difficulty for the watering of the land, [the aforementioned] Nepheros, carried away by audacity […] of your prefecture, and he himself […] coming [into] the colony with great violence […] having planned […] having thrown […] of the water […]

The text refers to a 'colony' of veterans settled on land granted by the emperors (Septimius Severus and Caracalla). The beginning and end are lost, so the addressee of the covering petition is unknown.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Zu den Veteranen - Kolonien). 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 →

chrest.wilck.461

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · 200 - 203 · Kerkesucha (Arsinoites)

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