Petition to the strategos about stolen beams and an assault at Talei TM 15169Either Talei or Tebtynis, Polemonos meris, Arsinoite nome, province of EgyptFebruary 4, 48 A.D.

To Apollonios, strategos of the Arsinoite nome, from Papontos son of Papontos, of those from Talei in the division of Polemon, called Psenamtis, farmer of those from Talei of the same division. Someone having broken in, in the manner of a robber, into the house which I have in the aforementioned village of Talei, they carried off from me ten beams and a mortar. And when I was making the search together with the epistates of the village of Talei, I found them red-handed in the house of Patynion son of Herakleios: part of the beams that had been taken, five beams. And when I remonstrated with him about these, he committed no ordinary outrage against me, and in the scuffle the child which I had on my shoulder fell from me to the ground, so that as a result it is in danger of its life. Therefore I ask you to write to the epistatai of Talei to send the accused Patynion up to you for the forthcoming prosecution. Farewell. Year 8 of Claudius, Mecheir 10. Papontos, about 45 years old, of large build, honey-coloured complexion, a scar on the nose on the left under the eyebrow.