Petition
From cartonnage. Cursive hand, same as BGU IV 1061, only a little less adorned.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 18505
Petition about forcible seizure of land near Tilothis TM 18505Busiris (Heracleopolites)March 5th, 14 BC
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 →
A petition to Nearchos, deputy strategos, complaining that a neighbour, apparently one of the katoikic cavalry settlers, forcibly seized a four-aroura parcel near Tilothis and part of the petitioners' plot, taking its yearly harvest while they still paid the dues. They ask for the land back and the arrears collected; an official note orders the police chief Theon to summon the offender. Written in 14 BC at Busiris in the Herakleopolite nome.
In English machine translation
[…] Year 16, Phamenoth 9
To Nearchos, hypostrategos and archiphylakites(?) […]
[…] success […]
[…] […]
[…] of the […]
[…] royal […]
[…] of them from […]
[…] of the katoikic cavalrymen, who […]
[…] taking no account of what is right and […]
[…] repeatedly […]
[…] for whom death […]
[…] having the plot adjoining on the east side of the four-aroura parcel in the plains around Tilothis, has by force seized the said four-aroura parcel, and has also forcibly taken from our indicated plot 24 1/4 schoinia(?) since year 8, and carries off the yearly produce, 5 artabas of wheat, while it falls to us to pay the dues on them, so that, worn out, we have been driven to threats. We ask that provision be made for us so that we suffer no loss, that the land be restored to us, and that the rents for the period of 2 years be exacted for the royal treasury, with suitable additional measures being taken concerning him.
Farewell.
(Subscription) Write to Theon, chief of police, to have the man who has appropriated the land appear. Year 16, Phamenoth 9.
Recovered from mummy cartonnage; the opening is badly damaged. Year 16 refers to Augustus; the phrase rendered 'one quarter beyond twenty schoinia' is a land measure whose exact sense is uncertain.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Eingabe). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
bgu.4.1060
[…]ἔτους ιϛ Φαμενὼθ θ Νεάρχωι ὑποστρατήγωι καὶ ἀρχ[…]… […] ἐπιτυχίας […]…ασιαι… […]εν τῶν […]βασιλικὸν […]αὐτῶν ἐκ […]κατοίκων ἱππέων ὁ […]αθως ἐν οὐδενὶ λόγωι ποιούμενος τὸ καλῶς ἔχον καὶ […]ους διὰ πλειόνων […]…να οἷς θάνατος […]μον ἔχων τὸν κλῆρον γειτνιῶντα ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς ἀπηλιώ…