One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 19421
Letter from Aline to her husband Apollonios, anxious for his safety TM 19421Hermopolites (?)
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 private letter from Aline to her husband Apollonios, the strategos, whom she addresses as "brother". She writes that she cannot eat or sleep for worry over his safety amid alarming rumours, and urges him to protect himself with a guard and to delegate the burden to the magistrates as the local strategos does. It likely comes from the Hermopolite nome during the Jewish revolt of the early 2nd century AD.
In English machine translation
[recto]
Aline to Apollonios her brother, many greetings.
Being greatly anxious about you because of the rumours about what is happening at present, and because you left me so suddenly, I take no pleasure in [drink] nor in food, but I stay awake continually night and day with one single care, that for your safety. Only my father's attentive care revives me, and on the 1st day of the new year, by your safety, I would have gone to bed without tasting anything, had my father not come in and forced me. I urge you therefore to keep yourself safe and not to face the danger alone without a guard, but just as the strategos here lays the burden on the magistrates, you too do the same [...] my father [...] being [...]. For indeed the name [...] of the brother was put forward [...] but the god [...] him [...]. If therefore, brother, [...] of the affairs [...] write to us [...] to him to you [...] goes up [...] of the safety [...].
[verso]
To Apollonios her brother.
"Brother" (adelphos) was a common affectionate term for a husband, and the descriptive title identifies Apollonios as Aline's husband. The danger is generally connected with the Jewish revolt of AD 115-117, during which Apollonios served as strategos of Apollonopolis-Heptakomia.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Brief der Aline an ihren Gatten). 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.giss.apoll.8
[r] Ἀλινὴ Ἀπολλωνίωι τῶι ἀδελφῶι πολλὰ χαίρειν. μεγάλως ἀγωνιῶσα περί σου διὰ τὰ ὄντα τοῦ καιροῦ φημιζόμενα καὶ ὅτι ἐξάφνως ἐξῆλθες ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ· οὔτε πο[…]οὔτε σειτίοις ἡδέως προσέρχομαι, ἀλλὰ συνεχῶς ἀγρυπνοῦσα νυκτὸς ἡμέρας μίαν μέριμναν ἔχω τὴν περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας σου. μόνη δὲ ἡ το…