Private Letter
Letter sent by Ploutogenia to her mother Heliodora
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 21351
Letter from Ploutogenia to her mother TM 21351Alexandria, province of Egyptca. 296-297 A.D.
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 private letter written around AD 297 from Alexandria by Ploutogenia to her mother. She complains that in eight months her mother has not written, gives instructions about bronze vessels and money received from Koupineris, and offers to come if her sister is to be married.
In English machine translation
[recto]
Ploutogenia to my mother, very many greetings.
Before all else I pray that you are in good health before the Lord God. It is already eight months since I came to Alexandria, and you have not written me a single letter. So again you do not treat me as your daughter but as your enemy. The bronze vessels that you have with you, give them to Ata, and you take them back from Ata herself in full. And write to me how much money you received from Koupineris, and do not neglect it. Look after the machine (?) and your animals (?); do not hesitate, and do not wish to trouble yourself […] If your daughter is going to marry, write to me and I will come. I greet you together with your children. I greet also those who love us, each by name. I pray that you all fare well for many years.
[verso]
Deliver to my mother, from Ploutogenia her daughter.
The phrase 'the Lord God' may point to a Christian writer, though such language was not exclusively Christian. The 'machine' (mechane) is probably a water-lifting device such as a waterwheel, and ktene are livestock; one record names the mother as Heliodora, though the letter itself does not.
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 Ploutogenia to her Mother). 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.mich.3.221
[r] Πλουτογένια τῇ μητρί μου πολλὰ χαίρειν. πρὸ μὲν πάντων εὔχομαί σε ὁλοκληρεῖν παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ. ἤδη ὀκτὼ μῆνες ἀφʼ ἧς εἰσῆλθα εἰς Ἀλεξάνδριαν, οὐδὲ μίαν μοι ἐπιστολὴν ἔγραψας. πάλι οὖν οὐκ ἐχεις με ὡς θυγατέρα σου ἀλλὰ ὡς ἐχθράν σου. τὰ χαλκώματα τὰ ἔχεις παρὰ σοί, δὸς αὐτὰ Ἀ…