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A private letter on an ostracon from Mons Claudianus in which Pthiaus tells Peteniphis, whom he calls father, that a camel-driver named Chennamis is bringing him a basket of meat and a liver. He denies owing Peteniphis four staters and asks him to confirm receipt of the meat.
The catalogue spells the sender's name Phthiaus; the text has Pthiaus. 'Father' may be a term of respect rather than literal kinship, and the stater here is a four-drachma coin.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter from Phthiaus to Peteniphis). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
Πθιαῦς Πετενίφι τῷ πατρὶ χαίρειν. δέξαι παρὰ Χεννᾶμις καμηλίτου σφυρίδιν κρεῶν καὶ ἡπάτιν ἕν . ἀσπάζου τὴν γυναῖκά σου καὶ τὰ παιδία σου. οὐ καλῶς ἐποίησας γράψας ὅτι ὀφείλω σοι τέσσαρας στατῆρες, οὓς οὐκ ὀφείλω. ἀντίγραψόν μοι οὖν εἰ εἴληφας ποταπὰ κρέα. ἐρρῶσθε.
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