Private Letter
Letter from Didymos to his brother(?) Apollonios, expressing a strong desire to see him
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 27104
Letter from Didymos to his brother Apollonios TM 27104unknown place, province of EgyptIInd century A.D.
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A private letter from Didymos to his brother Apollonios, saying he longs to see him and would have come if he had not been expecting him daily. He mentions hosting Mystes, sending gifts and a jar, and receiving four bundles of leeks. It dates to the 2nd century AD, from Roman Egypt.
In English machine translation
[recto]
Didymos to Apollonios his brother, greetings.
If I had not been expecting you every single day, I would certainly have put everything off and come to you myself. So it is my prayer to greet you. I was glad to see Mystes, a son (?) and brother, and treated him kindly as far as was possible; from him receive also two fine […]. I will certainly either send you a […] jar or bring it myself when I come; for I am not yet coming, if he is still staying with you, to greet you. I received four bundles of leeks.
Greet your children, may the evil eye spare them, and all who love you.
Farewell. […] 22.
[verso]
Deliver to Apollonios from Didymos his brother.
"Brother" may be a term of affection rather than kinship. The leeks are kephalotos, headed leeks; the reading "son" (written ύὸν) before "brother" is unclear.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Didymus to Apollonius). 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.mich.8.494
[r] Δίδυμος Ἀπολλωνίωι τῶι ἀδελφῶι χαίρειν. εἰ μὴ καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν προσεδόκων σε πάντως ἂν αὐτὸς πάντα ὑπερθέμενος πρὸς σὲ ἦλθον. οὕτως διʼ εὐχῆς ἐστί μοι τό σε ἀσπάσασθαι. Μύστην ύὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡδέως εἶδον καὶ ὡς ἐνεδέχετο ἐφιλανθρώπησα, παρʼ οὗ καὶ κόμισαι ελ[…]ς καλὰς δύο . πά…