Letter offering surety
Uncial-cursive, written along the fibres.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 20212
Surety for a water guard given by a village headman of Pallas TM 20212HermoupolisAug. 20, 362?
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 4 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A sworn guarantee given by Aurelius Tothes, village headman of the hamlet of Pallas in the Hermopolite nome, to the officials in charge of the dykes, vouching that Aurelius Pankolauchis will stay at his post as water guard until the end of the flood-guarding season. It dates to the 4th century AD, probably 362.
In English machine translation
[…]
To the riparii, that is, the dyke-supervisors (?) of the Hermopolite nome,
from Aurelius Tothes son of Anoubion, village headman of the hamlet of Pallas in the same Hermopolite nome, who signs below. I acknowledge, swearing the divine and venerable oath of our all-conquering master the eternal emperor Augustus, that I have stood surety for the remaining and appearance of Aurelius Pankolauchis son of Pollon, for the guard-duty of your office, that he will remain, fulfilling the post and the release of the waters of the guard service until the end of the water-guarding. If he falls behind or deserts, I myself will bear responsibility on his behalf, or may I be liable to the divine oath and to the danger concerning it; and having been asked the formal question, I have agreed.
In the aforesaid consulship, Mesore 27. I, Aurelius Tothes, stand surety as stated above.
The date depends on the consulship named in lost lines; one record proposes 20 August 362. The riparii and chomatepeiktai were officials responsible for policing and dyke works, without exact English equivalents.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Surety). 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.cair.preis.15
p.cair.preis.2ed.15
[… ? lines lost …] ῥιπαρίοις ἤτοι χωματεπείκταις τοῦ Ἑρμοπολίτου παρὰ Αὐρηλίου Τοθῆτος Ἀνουβίωνος κωμάρχου ἐποικίου Πάλλαντος τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἑρμοπολίτου ἑξῆς ὑπογράφοντος. ὁμολογῶ ὀμνὺς τὸν θεῖον καὶ σεβάσμιον ὅρκον τοῦ τὰ πάντα νικῶντος δεσπότου ἡμῶν βασιλέως αἰωνίου Αὐγούστου ἐγγεγυ…