An application from nine farmers of the village of Pela, including a woman acting with her guardian, to the strategos Dios asking for a loan of 7 1/2 artabas of seed wheat for the 7 1/2 arouras of land they cultivate. Each applicant is described by age and identifying scar, and the seed was to be issued through the sitologoi. Written at the end of AD 99 in the Oxyrhynchite nome.
In English machine translation
To Dios, strategos,
from Noumenios also called Panechotes, son of Apollonios son of Apollonios, his mother being Dieeus, aged about 17, without distinguishing marks; and Apollonios son of Apollonios also called Totoes, his mother being […], aged about 73, with a scar on the left shin; and Totoes son of […], his mother being Senapollonia, aged about 30, with a scar on the left shin; and Hippolytos son of Pitaios son of Pitaios, his mother being Philous, aged about 36, with a scar on the left shin; and Pasalymis son of Philemon son of Skylax, his mother being Elis, aged about 70, with a scar on a finger of the […] hand; and Horos son of Pemsynis son of Ax[…], his mother being Tetheus, aged about 45, with a scar on the right knee; and Horos son of Parais son of Parais, his mother being Soeris, aged about 61, with a scar on the forehead; and Naris son of Lillais son of Kollouthos, his mother being Demas, aged about 40, with a scar on the forehead; and Tanesneus daughter of Peteminis, her mother being Therm[…], with her guardian Heras son of Heras son of Apollonios; all from the village of Pela. Since we farm near M[…] out of the holding of Pytheas and other holdings […] Apollo[…] son of Apollo[…] […]: Noumenis also called Panechotes, in the name of his deceased father, 1 aroura; and Apollonis likewise 1 aroura; and Hippolytos likewise 1 aroura; and Pasalymis likewise 1/2 aroura; and Horos son of Pemsynis likewise 1/2 aroura; and Horos son of Parais likewise 1 aroura; and Naris […] and his brother Kollouthos 1 aroura; and Tanesneus in […] 1 aroura; total 7 arouras; and Totoes, partner of Damas son of Dex[…], 1/2 aroura; grand total 7 1/2 arouras, paying per aroura not less than 2 1/2 artabas of wheat; and we are sowing these in the present 3rd year of Imperator Caesar Nerva Traianus Augustus Germanicus with wheat, and we expend per aroura 1 artaba of wheat for seed, we request […] for seed 7 1/2 artabas of wheat be ordered (?) to be dispatched […] through Pachois and his partners, the sitologoi […], which we shall also put into the land […]
[…]
Sitologoi were village officials in charge of the state granaries. The end of the document, with the formal request and signatures, is lost.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Application for Seed - Corn). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.