One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 18550
Wet-nursing contract for a slave nurse and a freedwoman's infant TM 18550Alexandria4. Nov. 5 v.Chr.
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 2 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A wet-nursing contract from Alexandria in which Gaius Ignatius Maximus agrees to provide his slave Chrotarion to nurse the infant Pollarous, daughter of Thermoutharion's freedwoman Kallityche, whose milk had failed through illness. The pay is 10 drachmas a month including oil, for 10 months, with strict conditions on the nurse and penalties for breach. Dated 4 November 5 BC.
In English machine translation
Sheet (?)
To Protarchos
from Thermoutharion daughter of Eirenaios, citizen, with her guardian Hermias son of Athenodoros, and from Gaius Ignatius Maximus. Gaius Ignatius Maximus agrees to provide his slave Chrotarion to nurse and suckle with her own milk, pure and uncorrupted, outside, at the house of Gaius himself in the city, for a period of 10 months from Hathyr of the present 26th year of Caesar, the female infant named Pollarous, child of Thermoutharion's freedwoman Kallityche, whom Thermoutharion has entrusted to her because Kallityche, having fallen ill, has had her milk spoiled, at the fixed wage for milk and nursing, with oil, of 10 drachmas per month. Gaius has received from Thermoutharion from hand to hand out of the house the 30 drachmas of nursing wages accruing for the three months from Hathyr to Tybi. Gaius, being paid regularly the nursing wages from the month of Mecheir, is to provide the slave, who from now on is to take care of herself and of the child, not spoiling her milk, nor sleeping with a man, nor becoming pregnant, nor suckling another child alongside, and whatever she receives or is entrusted with she will keep safe and return when it is demanded, or pay the value of each item, except in case of evident loss, from which, when it has been made evident, she shall be released; and she is not to abandon the nursing within the period. If he transgresses in any way, he himself shall pay back the nursing wages he has received and whatever he may receive, with an additional half, and the damages and expenses and a further 200 drachmas of silver, execution being as if by legal judgment. And Thermoutharion, while Chrotarion fulfils everything, is to supply from now on the monthly nursing wages and not to take away the child within the period, or she too shall be liable to the same penalty. Chrotarion shall bring the child to Thermoutharion [...] of the month. We request this.
Year 26 of Caesar, Hathyr 8.
This is an Alexandrian synchoresis, an agreement submitted to an official (here Protarchos) for registration. Year 26 of Caesar refers to Augustus.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Vertrag über eine Amme (τροφῖτις), Alexandrien). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
c.pap.gr.1.10
κόλλημα Πρωτάρχωι παρὰ Θερμουθαρίου τῆς Εἰρηναίου ἀστῆς μετὰ κυρίου Ἑρμίου τοῦ Ἀθηνοδώρου καὶ παρὰ Γαίου Ἰγνατίου Μαξίμου. συνχωρεῖ ὁ ΓάιοςἸγνάτιος Μάξιμος παρασχέσθαι τὴν δούλην αὑτοῦ Χρωτάριον τροφεύουσαν καὶ θηλάζουσαν τῶι ἰδίῳ αὐτῆς γάλακτι καθαρῷ καὶ ἀφθόρωι ἔξω παρʼ ἑαυτῶι …