End of a Contract
End of a contract of uncertain nature
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 21385
End of a contract issued by Aurelius Menas TM 21385Aphrodite (Aphrodito), Antaiopolite nome, province of the Lower Thebais, Thebais, EgyptVIth century 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 →
The closing part of a 6th-century contract from Aphrodito, in which a certain Aurelius Menas issues a note of hand, pledging all his property as security and confirming his obligations. It ends with his signature, a witness statement, and the notary's subscription.
In English machine translation
[…]
[…] neither to me nor to my heirs, neither in any court whatsoever nor outside court […]. And for your security I have issued this note of hand with my signature and that of the usual witnesses below, all my property, movable and immovable and self-moving, being pledged by way of security and by right of mortgage, as if by a court judgment. And having been asked the formal question on all points, I agreed that these things are so, and that I will give and do them. Pachon 26, sixth indiction.
I, Aurelius Menas […], made this note of hand and it is satisfactory to me as stated above.
[…]
I, […], bear witness to the security, having heard it from the party who made it.
Written by […]as, lawyer.
The nature of the contract is uncertain because its opening is lost. "Self-moving" property refers to livestock and slaves, a standard clause in Byzantine contracts.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as End of a Contract). 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.13.672
[… ? lines lost …] [… 1 line lost …] [… 1 line lost …] […]μητʼ ἐμοῖ μήτε τοῖς κληρονόμοις ἐμοῖς μήτε ἐν δικαστηρίῳ οἱῳδήποτε μήτε ἐκτὸς δικαστηρίου […]καί σοι πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν ἐξέδωκα ταύτην τὴνχεῖρα μεθʼ ὑπογραφῆς ἐμῆς καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς συνηθῶν μαρτύρων πάντων μου τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ὑποκει…