Letter of a Daughter
Private letter from Thaisous to her mother, Syras. The letter consists of a series of enigmatic messages probably written in response to a letter from Syras
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 20566
Letter from Thaisous to her mother Syras TM 20566Oxyrhynchos35 CE
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A short private letter from a daughter, Thaisous, to her mother Syras, from Oxyrhynchus around AD 35. She reports that a certain Seleukos came and has fled, tells her mother not to trouble herself to travel, mentions Loukia, asks to be told the day, and sends greetings to family members including her brother Ammonas and her father Theonas.
In English machine translation
Thaisous to Syras her mother. Know that Seleukos came here and has fled. Do not trouble yourself to embark (?). Expect Loukia (?) for the year. Write me the day.
Greet my brother Ammonas and […]rap[…] and my sister […]
[… lines lost …]
and Theonas my father.
The messages are terse and their context is obscure; the phrase about Loukia and the year may mean expecting Loukia within the year or for a yearly service. The verb 'embark' likely refers to taking a boat on the Nile.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter of a Daughter). 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.oxy.2.295
Θαεισοῦς Συρᾶτι τῇ μητρί. γίνωσκε ὅτι Σέλευκος ἐλθὼν ὧδε πέφευγε. μὴ σκύλλε ἑαυτὴν ἐμβῆναι. προσδέχου εἰς τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν Λουκία. γράψον μοι τὴν ἡμέραν. ἄσπασαι σὺ Ἀμμωνᾶν τὸν ἀδελφόν μου καὶ …ραπ[…]ν καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν […]α[…] [… ? lines lost …] καὶ Θεωνᾶν τὸν πατέρα.