Petition to the prefect
The papyrus contained a petition, with a subscription at the foot, sent to an official who was the superior of the epistrategos.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 18470
Petition of a widow concerning a child, to the prefect (?) TM 18470HeptanomiaCa. 139 CE
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
Fragment of a petition from a widow to a high official, probably the prefect of Egypt, about something that happened concerning a child. She asks that the epistrategos Julius Petronianus be instructed to investigate the matter and compel the other party to do whatever he decides. It dates to about AD 140 and comes from the Heptanomia (Middle Egypt).
In English machine translation
[…]
[…] … […]
[…] … […]
[…] … lord … […]
[…] avenged (?) … […]
[…] … […]
[…] of the child … rather
[…] to be […] I ask (?) that through the
[…] … what has happened
[…] help having the
[…] and I ask, if it seems good to your Fortune,
[to order that it be written] to Julius Petronianus, the most excellent epistrategos, to examine what has happened
[…] the child, and to compel him
[…] … whatever he may judge, because
[…] … to work together or […] your hatred of wickedness
[…] a widowed woman, nor myself […] … to make a living, and so that I may be benefited.
[…] Farewell.
[…] …
[…] I ask (?)
[…] …
[…]
The addressee is identified as the prefect only because he is asked to write to the epistrategos, his subordinate; APIS dates the text ca. AD 139. "Your Fortune" (tyche) is an honorific form of address for high officials.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Petition to the Prefect (?)). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
p.leid.inst.1.34
[… ? lines lost …] […]…[…] […]…ο[…] […]… κύριε ο…[…] […] ἐξεδίκησε …[…] […]…αιω…εφ[…] […]…ου παιδίου ε…ι…ν μᾶλλον […]ηθῆναι ἀξι… ἵνα διὰ τῆς […]ην… τὸ συνβεβηκὸς […] βοήθειαν ἔχουσαν τὴν […] καὶ ἀξιῶ ἐὰν σοῦ τῇ τύχῃ δόξῃ προστάξαι γραφῆναι Ἰουλίῳ Πετρωνιανῶι τῶι κρατίστωι ἐπιστρα…