Petition of a minor against his mother's fraudulent guardianship TM 20361Oxyrhynchos123 CE

To Hermodoros, royal scribe, also acting as deputy for the strategia, from Didymos son of Dionysios also called Phatres, from the city of Oxyrhynchus. My mother Matrina, daughter of Herakleos also called Matreas, being my guardian and having wronged me in many ways, further deceived me and made me go down to the Oasis and execute in favour of Dioskoros, the husband of her freedwoman and her own man, a [...] of 1 1/2 talents of silver, and mortgage all the property I have in the Oasis, after taking from Dioskoros a deed of indemnity. When I came up to the Oxyrhynchite nome together with Dioskoros, she lay in wait until she could ask me for the deed of indemnity, and having got possession of it, and being conscious that she has plundered much of my property, she refuses to acknowledge it, demanding from me in exchange for it a receipt discharging her guardianship, thinking that by this she can escape the consequences of what she has done; and this although Philonikos the strategos decided, according to the minutes, that another guardian should be appointed for me, since he trusted neither her nor my youth. Apart from this, she has not even supplied me with my allowance for three months now, oppressing me in every way so that I may be unable to proceed against her. For all these reasons I am compelled to submit this petition and ask that it be kept on record and that you deal with the matter as you see fit. Year 7 of Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, Pauni 29.