One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 28820

Letter from Sempronius to his mother Satornila TM 28820Alexandria (?)(Late) IInd 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 Sempronius to his mother Satornila, complaining that she sent no letter by Celer or Sempronius, asking her to write about her health, and discussing some damaged family matters. He explains he could not visit because he is about to travel, and sends greetings to many relatives; it was addressed via his brother Maximus, probably from Alexandria in the late 2nd century AD.

In English machine translation

[recto] Sempronius to Satornila his mother and lady, very many greetings. Before all else I pray that you are well, and at the same time I make your obeisance daily before the lord Sarapis. I am surprised that you did not write to me either through Celer or through Sempronius. For when I arrived back from my journey I found them and asked for what reason they had not brought me a letter. They said it was because of the journey. But having learned about your well-being I became less anxious. Therefore, please, my lady, write to me without hesitation about your well-being. I received a letter through Sokrates and another small one through Antonianus, and I received a letter from Hexas, and I received another from Lobotes. You wrote to me also about […] heavy (?) […] need that […] provide […] for nothing […] me […] through which I am not at all surprised […] your […] […] […] according to […] […] for to Sempronius if […] it is my part to provide, it is another's to […] before the time such things […] so it is a very small matter. Now I write to you so that you may remember him. For now he has written to you as to a deaf person. And you wrote about these matters in your second letter to us. I am writing about them. For indeed I wished to do everything and come to you, first to pay reverence to your good and child-loving character, and second also about these matters. But I have not now found […] opportunity, but being about to set out on a journey I have written to you about these very things. Greet Maximus and his wife and Sempronius Kyrillos and Satornilos and Gemellus and Julius and his family and Helene and her family and Skythikos and Kopres, Chairemon, Thermouthis and her children. Farewell, my lady, always. [verso] Deliver to Maximus from Sempronius his brother.

The 'obeisance' (proskynema) is a customary prayer made on behalf of the addressee before a god, here Sarapis. The middle section is badly damaged and its sense 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 Letter of Sempronius to his Mother Satornila). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.

Private Letter

Papyri.info — APIS (Advanced Papyrological Information System) — papyri · P.Mich.inv. 192 · (Late) IInd century A.D. · Alexandria (?)

Letter sent by Sempronius to his mother Satornila, filled with concerns about her welfare and about some unknown family matters

p.mich.15.751

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

[r] Σεμπρώνιος Σατορνίλᾳ τῇ μητρὶ καὶ κυρίᾳ πλεῖστα χαίρειν. πρὸ τῶν ὅλων ἐρρῶσθαι σε εὔχομαι, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸ προσκύνημα σου ποιοῦμαι ἡμερησίως παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ Σαράπιδι. θαυμάζω πῶς οὐκ ἔγραψάς μοι οὔτε διὰ Κέλερος οὔτε διὰ Σεμπρωνίου. παραγενάμενος γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀποδημίας εὗρον αὐτοὺ…