Home › Spine › TM 19622
One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 19622

Petition against unjust imposition of liturgies as dike overseer and elder TM 19622Hermopolis (?)9. Nov. 118

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 →

Petition to an official complaining that a man forced the petitioner to oversee and pay for dike work on the man's own land, and then removed his own wealthier son-in-law from the post of village elder and appointed the poor petitioner instead. The petitioner asks for a hearing against him. Dated 9 November 118, probably from Hermopolis.

In English machine translation

[...] [...] having come forward [...] ... me [...] ... to my friend and having contracted me (?) for the aforesaid (works?) and [...] to him about him, he appointed [me] overseer of a dike on his own land, and so that ... he compelled me to make the expenditure from my own means, until I recover it. Furthermore, his son-in-law, having been appointed elder and having performed the liturgy and having sacrificed a calf at the Kaisareia, he afterwards removed him and appointed me elder, though I am poor and he is richer. Therefore I ask you, lord and benefactor, that I be heard against him, so that I may receive your benefaction. Farewell. Year 3 of Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, Hathyr 13.

The 'elder' (presbyteros) was a compulsory village office (a liturgy), burdensome for poor men. The beginning, including the names of the parties and the addressee, is lost.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Eingabe wegen ungerechter Liturgiebelastung). 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.38

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · 9. Nov. 118 · Hermopolis (?)

[… ? lines lost …] […]ν προσελθόντα […]…ως ἐπιτεθε[…] με […]ικ…τᾳ τῶι φίλῳ μου καὶ ἐργολαβήσαντά με τὰς προκειμένας καὶ […]ειπωι αὐτῶι περὶ αὐτοῦ κατέστησέν με ἐπιμελητὴν χώματος τοῖς ἰδίοις αὐτοῦ ἐδάφεσι καὶ ἵνα λ…ηι ἠνάγκασέν με ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου δαπάνην ποιῆσαι, μέχρι ἂν ἀναλάβω ἔτ…