Fragment of a private letter from Thebes, 2nd to 3rd century AD, giving instructions about an estate and the renting of a storeroom (cella) to a woman for a monthly payment. The writer tells the recipient not to let it to anyone else unless a higher rent is offered, and urges him not to neglect the matter.
In English machine translation
[…] […]
[…] of the estate […]
[…] […]
[…] my (?) Apion (?) […]
[…] your kindness […]
[…] having laid on (?) or the storeroom, you shall give to her […]
[…] from her each month […]
[…] let it be your concern, the storeroom itself […]
[…] you shall give to no one; but if a greater […]
[…] of a higher rent […]
[…] of the rent […] to […]
[…] let him declare to you […]
[…] do not neglect […]
[…]
The word kella, from Latin cella, means a storeroom or small room let for rent. Both sides of each line are lost, so the connections between phrases are uncertain.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Fragment of a 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.