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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 26609

Letter from Papontos to Alexander about hides and mats for sale TM 26609OxyrhynchosII (?)

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 Papontos to his associate Alexander at Oxyrhynchus, sent with Didymos along with a consignment of hides and red-dyed mats, some owned jointly with Herakleides. Papontos asks Alexander to send the proceeds, report on prices and stock, release Didymos quickly, and advance money to the sailor Pausanias if needed.

In English machine translation

[recto] Papontos to Alexander, his own, greeting. I have sent you through Didymos hides of cattle (?), and Didymos himself will tell you their number; and mats belonging to me alone, coloured with red ochre, 38, and mats held in partnership with Herakleides, 82, of which half are mine, the whole expense of both the hides and all the mats being chargeable to Herakleides. If you collect the money, send it to me at once with an escort (?). Let me know how many hides you received and at what price they are selling, and how many mats are left in store from the previous cargo, and how many are in store together with these. You will let me know all this through the same Didymos. Release the same Didymos at once, so that he is not kept with you any longer. […] […] escort […] to Dioskourides and […] to someone […] send to me. Sarapias and all those in the household greet you. I, Dionysios, greet you. Farewell. Year 15, Mecheir 6. If Pausanias the sailor needs any money, give it, and let me know how much he received. [verso] To Alexander from Papontos.

The word rendered 'hides of cattle (?)' (boteia) is of uncertain meaning; it may refer to some kind of animal skins or plant product. The phrase 'with an escort' renders epithēkē, whose exact sense here is uncertain.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Papontos to Alexander). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.

DDbDP-text Full record →

p.oxy.49.3505

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · II (?) · Oxyrhynchos

[r] Παποντῶς Ἀλεξάνδρωι τῶι ἰδίωι χαίρειν. διεπεμψάμην σοι διὰ Διδύμου δέρματα βότεια τὸν δὲ ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν μεταδώσει σοι ὁ αὐτὸς Δίδυμος καὶ ψιάθους ἐμοῦ μόνου μεμιλτωμένας λη, κοινωνιμαίας μεθʼ Ἡρακλείδου πβ ὧν τὸ ἥμισύ ἐστιν ἐμοῦ, τῆς δαπάνης πάσης τῶν τε βοτείων καὶ πασῶν τῶν …