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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 19599

Letter from Hermaios to the strategos Apollonios about flooding and sluice works TM 19599Hermopolis (?)

The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 2 records across 2 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →

Letter from Hermaios to the strategos Apollonios reporting on the Nile flood and irrigation works: the land is flooded, so canal repair was unnecessary, but he has requested 50 workmen from the peace officer of Poeis for work on a new sluice. He will inspect the islands at Teruthis with the farmers at dawn.

In English machine translation

Hermaios to the most honoured Apollonios, greetings. There was no need for taking up (repairing) a canal; with your fortune blowing favourably, everything has been flooded. The guard sent by you found me at the new sluice searching for workmen for the embankment. Since the sluice has not been raised by the building work, and now the workmen detained by me for this purpose [column 2] had no spades or baskets, I sent to the eirenophylax of Poeis, whose duty he says it is, to send 50 workmen, 20 for carrying the earth and 30 for guarding. I am sleeping at Teruthis, so that at dawn I may inspect the islands together with the farmers, since I did not arrive in time. I am taking up the sample of Poeis and Teruthis, having with me the man who brings it down. I pray for your health, my lord. [verso] To Apollonios, strategos of the Apollonopolite Heptakomia.

Apollonios was strategos of the Apollonopolite Heptakomia under Trajan and Hadrian; his archive dates to the early 2nd century AD. The eirenophylax was a local peace officer, and the 'sample' (deigma) is probably a sample of the crop or land survey.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Brief (III) des Hermaios an Apollonios). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.

DDbDP-text Full record →

p.brem.14

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · Hermopolis (?)

[r,1] Ἑρμαῖος Ἀπολλωνίωι τῶι τιμιωτάτωι χαίρειν. οὐκ ἐγένετο χρεία ἀναλήψεως διώρυγος· τῆς τύχης σου συνπνεούσης πάντα λελίμνασται. ὁ ἀπό σοῦ φύλαξ εὗρέ με ἐπὶ τῆς καινῆς ἀφέσεως ἐκζητοῦντα ἐργάτας εἰς ἐπένχωσιν. ἐπεὶ μὴ ὕψωται τῆι οἰκοδομῇ ἡ ἄφεσις καὶ νῦν οἱ συσχεθέντες ὑπʼ ἐμο…