One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 25948

Letter from Didymos to Dionysios about slave boys and a lease TM 25948Oxyrhynchosspätes I

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 →

A business letter from Didymos to Dionysios son of Theon about a matter concerning slave boys, in which the secretary Kleon has been pressing them, and about a lease of Artemas from the village of Phebichis. Dionysios is asked to send a document safely wrapped and sealed. It dates to the late 1st century AD, from Oxyrhynchus.

In English machine translation

[recto] Didymos to his dearest Dionysios, greetings. You know that Kleon the secretary has often detained us about the matter of the slave boys, and through […] I asked him to wait for the arrival of Phanias. So, at my urging, refer the matter to Phanias, so that he may ask him as he wishes. I have reminded Phanias about the lease of Artemas from Phebichis. So take it at once and send it to me by the donkey-drivers or by some other safe person, rolled up in waste paper and sealed. Farewell and keep well. [verso] To Dionysios son of Theon […]

"Rolled up in waste paper" renders a phrase meaning wrapped in a useless (discarded) sheet to protect the document. The verb read as "refer" may also be taken as a past tense ("he referred").

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Business Letter). 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.47.3357

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · spätes I · Oxyrhynchos

[r] Δίδυμος Διονυσίωι τῶι φιλτάτωι χαίρειν. οἶδας ὅτι Κλέων ὁ γραμματεὺς πολλάκις ἡμᾶς συνέσχηκε περὶ τοῦ πράγματος τῶν παιδαρίων καὶ διὰ …χου ἠρώτησα αὐτὸν ἀναμεῖναι τὴν Φανίου παρουσίαν. παρακληθεὶς οὖν ἀνένεγκε τὸ πρᾶγμα Φανίᾳ ἵνα αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσῃ ὡς ἐὰν θέλῃ. ἐμνήσθην Φανίᾳ περὶ…