A lease in which Aurelius Elias rents 25 arouras of land with a share in a cistern, east of Hermopolis, from Flavius Taurinos son of Ioannes. Rent is paid yearly in wheat, beans, chickling, lentils, fodder and salted fish, with grain delivered to the landlord's house in Epeiph. Probably written at Hermopolis around AD 498.
In English machine translation
[…] fifth, of the seventh indiction.
To Flavius Taurinos, son of Ioannes of most excellent memory, from the city of the Hermopolites, from Aurelius Elias […]
[…] I acknowledge that I have willingly and of my own choice [leased from your excellency for a period of …] years, starting from the crops of the fortunate coming [eighth indiction, the] twenty-five [arouras belonging to your admirableness, together with the share of the cistern falling to them, from a farm of thirty-one arouras, wi]th the whole cistern, in partnership [with your paternal cousins for the remaining six arouras and the r]emaining share of the same cistern, making up [the thirty-one arouras, lying in the] east of the same city, for sow[ing and storing whatever crops I choose, at a rent for the same] twenty-five arouras each year
[of 100 artabas of wheat and … artabas of beans […] and] 32 1/2 artabas of chickling
[and … artabas of lentils] […] of beans and chickling and lentils
[…] [on the threshing floors] of the same city, and of short-grown (?) fodder […] twelve in your baskets
[…] of edible wild (?) salted fish
[…] [which grain rent I shall measure out to your excellency, new, cle]an, sifted, by the measure
[…] without delay in the month of Epeiph
[each year, and I shall deliver the same rent to your house in Herm]opolis with my own animals; and I am ready
[…] and to complete this from the
[…] expenses and wages of builders,
[all my present and future property being pledged to your admirableness for this lease, specifically and generally, as if by a court judgme]nt. The document of this lease is valid and binding, and having been asked I gave my assent.
I, Aurelius Elias […], the aforesaid, have leased as stated above. I, Aurelius
[…, having been asked, wrote on his behalf, since he does not know letters.]
I, Aurelius Victor son of Phoibammon, [from Hermopolis, witness the lease, having heard it from the] party making it.
I, Aurelius Josephis son of Victor, [from Hermopolis, witness the lease, having heard it from the] party making it.
…
Much of the lease formula is restored by the editor on the pattern of similar Hermopolite leases. The lakkos is a cistern or water reservoir used for irrigation.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Pachtvertrag). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.