One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 19587
Letter of an epistrategos concerning the inspection of sown land TM 19587Hermopolis (?)119 (?)
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 →
Part of an official letter, probably from the epistrategos of the Thebaid, about the inspection (episkepsis) of sown land. He says reputable men from other nomes will be chosen to remeasure the crops where necessary and urges the recipients to ensure that local people are not burdened, overcharged or falsely accused during the inspections. It probably dates to AD 119 and comes from Hermopolis.
In English machine translation
[column 1]
[… 12 lines lost …]
[column 2]
I give this reminder and I shall make it known also to the men of good standing from other nomes who will be chosen for the inspection, to whom I shall write, so that wherever necessary they may remeasure the sown land. I think it superfluous to write to you at greater length about how the local inhabitants may not be burdened or overcharged or falsely accused when inspections take place, since neither you nor those who will be chosen by me, nor indeed the royal scribes, fall under this suspicion. I am confident that you will also watch over the others who are engaged for the inspection, so that nothing improper is done by them. Since […] […]
[… lines lost …]
The episkepsis was an official survey of cultivated land, used to check crop yields and assess taxes or rent relief. Both the date and the place are uncertain.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Schreiben eines Epistrategen der Thebais betreffs der Episkepsis). 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.brem.2
[1] [… 12 lines lost …] [2rp] ὑπομιμνήσκω τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς εἰς τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν αἱρεθησομένοις ἀπʼ ἄλλων νομῶν εὐσχήμοσιν φανερὸν ποιήσω, οἷς ἐπιστελῶ, ἵνα ὅπου ἂν δεήσῃ τὸν σπόρον ἀναμετρήσωσιν. περισσὸν ἡγοῦμαι διεξοδέστερον ὑμῖν γράφειν, ὅπως μὴ βαρηθῶσιν ἢ παραπραχθῶσιν οἱ ἐνχώριο…