o.frange.390
ϣⲟⲣⲡ μέν ⲙⲡϣⲁϫⲉ ⲛⲧⲁⲙⲛⲧἐλάχιστος ⲉⲓⲥϩⲁⲓ ⲉⲓϣⲓⲛⲉ ⲉⲧⲉⲕⲙⲛⲧⲥⲟⲛ ⲉⲧⲛⲁⲛⲟⲩⲥ κατά ⲥⲙⲟⲧ ⲛⲓⲙ ⲙⲛ ⲛⲉⲥⲛⲏⲩ ⲧⲏⲣⲟⲩ ⲉⲧⲧⲁⲓⲏⲩ ⲉⲧⲛⲙⲙⲁⲕ ⲙⲛⲛⲥⲱⲥ ⲟⲛ ϯⲟⲩⲱϣⲧ ⲙⲡἴχνος ⲉⲉⲉⲉⲉ […]ϣⲓⲉϥ ⲥ ⲉⲉⲉ […]ⲧⲉⲇⲟⲩⲙⲉⲁ ⲉⲉ ⲓ[…] ⲛϣⲟⲣⲡ […] ⲡϣⲁϫⲉ ⲛ[…]
One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 219929
Opening greetings of a letter to a brother, with scribbles TM 219929Theben
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 2 records across 2 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
Opening of a Coptic letter on an ostracon from Thebes, in which the sender, calling himself 'my humbleness', greets the recipient as a brother and sends greetings to the honoured brothers with him. The rest breaks off into broken words and repeated letters, apparently a writing exercise or repetition of the opening formula.
In English machine translation
First of all,
the word of my humbleness (literally: my least-ness):
I write, greeting
your good brotherliness
in every way, and all the honoured brothers who are with you.
After this, again, I greet
the footprint […]
[…] (?) […]
[…]
[…]
first […]
the word of […]
Greeting 'the footprint' of someone is a humble monastic formula of respect. The repeated letters and the repetition of the opening phrase in the last lines suggest the ostracon may be a practice copy rather than a sent letter.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below. It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.