Contract [Late II - Early III AD]
Marriage contract of Chrysermos and Dionysia which preserves disposition of property concerning eventual children of the couple
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 27235
Marriage contract of Chrysermos and Dionysia TM 27235unbekannt170 CE – 230 CE
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 →
Fragmentary marriage contract between Chrysermos and Dionysia, with a dowry partly provided by Dionysia's mother Kyrilla, including a slave woman. It sets the husband's duties to maintain his wife, forbids him to take another wife or mistreat her, provides for return of the dowry on divorce, and regulates inheritance by their children. Egypt, late 2nd to early 3rd century AD.
In English machine translation
9
[…] to be given by her mother Kyrilla 1,[…] drachmas of silver […]
shall be added to the contract for the service of both [for the time they are together] with one another, of which she (?) has received here and now [from hand 332 drachmas of silver],
and the remainder to be paid by Kyrilla […]
necessarily by Mesore 30 of the present [year …]
[of the] lord, 668 drachmas of silver. And of Chrysermos […]
[…] of a slave woman, for which he received 332 drachmas of silver. Let Chrysermos provide the necessities [and the clothing] and all the rest in order [to Dionysia from]
his own property, and let it not be permitted to him [to bring in another wife] in addition to her, nor to abuse her […] in any [way].
If [Chrysermos] is shown to be doing any of these things, or
expels Dionysia, let him pay back to her […]
[…] and of gifts 1,860 drachmas of silver and the [arouras] of the […]
free from public taxes, of which […]
[… 1 line lost …]
[…] to whatever children she may bear […]
[…] to separate from Chrysermos, let him pay back […]
[…] is set out above, except only those of the registration (?) […]
both […] Dionysia […]
[…] from one another, all the aforesaid shall be […]
[…] and Dionysia has (?) from another […]
[in] equal shares. And if the children born of one another [die]
before they reach the legal age […]
[And if] Hermias also dies first, likewise […]
[…] And if all […]
[…] of the legal age, all shall be […] [And if]
Dionysia dies [childless] and intestate […]
[…] nothing else of the property of Dionysia […]
[the things] declared [by this] contract […]
The beginning of the contract is lost; the role of Hermias is unclear, perhaps a child from an earlier marriage. The 'gifts' (xenia) are customary nuptial gifts forming part of the returnable property.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Marriage Contract). 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.col.8.227
θ δοθῆναι ὑπὸ τῆς μητρὸς Κυρίλλης ἀργυρίου δραχμὰς Α […] προσέσται τῇ συνγραφῇ εἰς δουλείαν ἀμφοτέρων ἐπὶ τὸν σὺν ἀλλήλοις χρόνον, ἐξ ὧν ἔσχεν ἐντεῦθεν διὰ χειρὸς ἀργυρίου δραχμὰς τλβ τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς ἀποδοθῆναι ὑπὸ τῆς Κυρίλλης[…] ἐπάναγκον ἕως Μεσορὴ λ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος[…]ἔτους[…] τοῦ…