Private Letter
Letter from Claudius Terentianus(?) to his father(?) Claudius Tiberianus, explaining that he has recovered from his grave illness and that there has been some violent disturbance in Alexandria
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 27091
Letter from Claudius Terentianus to his father Tiberianus about illness and unrest TM 27091probably Alexandria, province of Egypt(Early) IInd century A.D.
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 4 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A private letter from Claudius Terentianus, a soldier, to his father Claudius Tiberianus, explaining that serious illness and a violent disturbance kept him confined to camp and unable to travel or write, and that he has recovered. It closes with greetings to his mother and requests; written probably at Alexandria in the early 2nd century AD.
In English machine translation
Claudius Terentianus to Claudius Tiberianus, his father and lord, very many greetings.
Before all else I pray that you are in good health, which is my wish, and I myself am well, making obeisance for you every day before the lord Sarapis and the gods who share his temple. I want you to know that, although I had been ordered to go out while you were away, I was quite unable to go down to Neapolis; for at that time such an attack of illness […] in disorder (?), and I was able for five days to write nothing to you, let alone to come up to you, nor did any of us get out of the gate of the camp. I give thanks to god that after the five days of ours, other days […] so great a disturbance, from which I suffered harm, […] he found out the lawbreakers (?) […] I have been saved, a favour granted rather to you (?) having come down. For […] decision (?) […] being in danger […] if […] if […] at the same time also […] another favour […] elsewhere […] camp prefect (?) […] of the lord (?) […] to my mother […]
And clearly […] I want you to know that […] while you were still away […] days […] served (?) […] demanding the […] and the copper, so as no longer to do it with Am[…]. But he ought not to ask for things that were completed according to the registration […] of another lawyer to send it to you […] For the rest, write back to me also about […] how she is doing.
Greet my mother and lady warmly, and tell her […] to send me my purse (?). And the […] me […] for the perfumes […]
[Fragment A]
[…]
[Fragment B]
[…] came (?) […] message (?) […]
Much of the opening is restored on the basis of the other letters of this soldier's archive from Karanis, so details such as Neapolis and the camp gate are partly editorial. The word rendered 'purse' (phoundin, from Latin funda) is a Latin loanword.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Terentianus to Tiberianus). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
Letter from Claudius Terentianus(?) to his father(?)
Letter from Claudius Terentianus(?) to his father(?), explaining that he has recovered from his illness and that there has been some violent disturbance in Alexandria
p.mich.8.478
[ctr] Κλαύδιος Τερεντιανὸς Κλαυδίῳ Τιβεριανῷ τῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ πλεῖστα χαίρειν. πρὸ μὲν πάντων εὔχομαί σε ὑγιαίνειν, ὅ μοι εὔκταῖόν ἐστιν, ὑγιαίνω δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ προσκύνημά σου ποιούμενος καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ Σαράπιδι καὶ τοῖς συννάοις θεοῖς. γινώσκειν σε θέλω ὅτι …