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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 20297

Fragments of a contract of sale TM 20297Kellis (Oasis Magna)308

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 →

Two fragments of a contract of sale from Kellis in the Dakhla Oasis, dated AD 308. The surviving parts preserve the seller's acknowledgment of full payment, his guarantee of the buyer's ownership, and the closing subscription written for an illiterate seller named Aurelius.

In English machine translation

[Fragment 1] […] […] […] and I have received the price […] in full from hand to hand. I am satisfied and persuaded, and I will guarantee it to you with every guarantee, so that from now on you, the buyer, shall hold and own the things sold […] and have power to manage and deal with them in whatever way you choose, the guarantee remaining binding on me, the seller, against every claimant […] […] [Fragment 2] […] In the consulship of our lords Diocletian, father of the emperors, for the 10th time, and Galerius Valerius Maximianus Augustus for the 7th time. I, Aurelius […], the aforesaid, have sold […] as stated above, and having been asked the formal question I gave my assent. Aurelius […] from […] wrote on his behalf, since he does not know letters.

The object of the sale and the parties' full names are lost; most of the wording is restored from standard sale formulas. The consular date of Diocletian (10th) and Galerius (7th) corresponds to AD 308.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Fragments of a Contract of Sale). 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.kellis.1.36

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · 308 · Kellis (Oasis Magna)

[Fr1] [… ? lines lost …] […]μ[…] … […]καὶ ἀπέχω τὴν τιμὴν […] διὰ χειρὸς πλῆρες. εὐδοκῶ καὶ πέπεισμαι καὶ βεβαιώσω σοι πάσῃ βεβαιώσει πρὸς τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ἐπικρατεῖν καὶ κυριεύειν σε τὸν ὠνούμενον τῶν πεπραμένων […] καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν διοικεῖν καὶ ἐπιτελεῖν περὶ αὐτῶν ᾧ ἂν αἱρῆται…