One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 20742
Oath of an egg-seller to sell only in the public market TM 20742Oxyrhynchos17. Jan. 328
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 2 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A sworn declaration by Aurelius Nilos, an egg-seller of Oxyrhynchus, to the logistes Flavius Thannyras, promising to sell eggs publicly in the marketplace every day and never secretly or at home. It dates to 17 January AD 328 and was signed for him by Aurelius Dios because he was illiterate.
In English machine translation
To Flavius Thannyras, logistes of the Oxyrhynchite nome,
from Aurelius Nilos son of Didymos, of the illustrious and most illustrious city of the Oxyrhynchites, egg-seller by trade.
I acknowledge, swearing the august divine oath of our masters the Emperor and the Caesars, that I will conduct the sale of eggs in the marketplace publicly, for sale and for the plentiful supply of the same city, daily and without interruption, and that it shall not be permitted to me in future to sell secretly or in our house. But if hereafter I should be found selling in my house […]
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[…] the most illustrious, Tybi 21.
I, Aurelius Nilos, swore the divine oath as aforesaid. I, Aurelius Dios, wrote on his behalf because he does not know letters.
The penalty clause and most of the consular dating formula are lost. The logistes (curator civitatis) was the chief municipal official overseeing the city's markets and supplies.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Declaration by an Egg - Seller). 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.1.83dupl
Φλαουίῳ Θαννύρᾳ λογιστῇ Ὀξυρυγχίτου παρὰ Αὐρηλίου Νίλου Διδύμου ἀπὸ τῆς λαμπρᾶς καὶ λαμπροτάτης Ὀξυρυγχιτῶν πόλεως ᾠοπώλου τὴν τέχνην. ὁμολογῶ ὀμνὺς τὸν σεβάσμιον θεῖον ὅρκον τῶν δεσποτῶν ἡμῶν Αὐτοκράτορός τε καὶ Καισάρων τὴν διάπρασίν με τῶν ᾠῶν ποιήσασθαι ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς δημοσίᾳ…