Private Letters
Couple of letters sent by Sempronius respectively to his mother Satornila and to his brother Maximus
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 28821
Letters of Sempronius to his mother Satornila and his brother Maximus TM 28821Alexandria (?)(Late) 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 papyrus carrying two private letters from Sempronius, one to his mother Satornila sending greetings and asking for news of her health, the other to his brother Maximus about missing letters, errands done and a garment with purple trim being made for him. Late 2nd century AD, probably from Alexandria.
In English machine translation
[recto]
Sempronius to Satornila his mother and lady, very many greetings.
Before all else I pray that you are well, together with my sweetest brothers, and at the same time I make obeisance for you daily before the lord Sarapis. Having found the man coming to you sailing upstream, I hastened to greet you by letter. Please, my lady, write to me without hesitation about your welfare, so that I may live with less anxiety. About my garments I will write to you another time […]
[…] of my friend […]
Lady, how are you doing […] but if […]
[…]
you will do, or having sent […]
[…] Greet Maximus and his wife and Satornilus Celer […] I will write to you about him and […]
[…] the man […] may learn
[…]
[…] me something […] why are you excessively burdened by […]. You will receive Kopres and Niki[…]
[…] but Hermeinos […]
[…]
[…] happened. I pray for your health.
Sempronius to Maximus his brother, very many greetings. Before all else I pray that you are well. I received your little letter, in which you write to me that you have sent me two letters. Know, brother, that I received only one. You write to me about Lobotes that […] It is not easy to give every man what pleases him. Because of the trouble […] to you […] do not blame me as negligent. […] some things I held back because of my lack of leisure, but everything you told me I have done, and it is being sent to you quickly through […]. I greet your wife and your children.
Farewell, brother.
The barygaudes (?) which you are making for me, like the one you have made […], having purple […] at the feet (?) and at the neck and at the sleeves; let […] be plain, and the parts at the loins […]
[verso]
Deliver to Maximus his brother from Sempronius.
The word barygaudes seems to denote a type of heavy cloak or garment; its exact meaning is uncertain. The origin in Alexandria is only conjectural.
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.
p.mich.15.752
[r] Σεμπρώνιος Σατορνίλᾳ τῇ μητρὶ καὶ κυρίᾳ μου πλεῖστα χαίρειν. πρὸ τῶν ὅλων ἐρρῶσθαί σε εὔχομαι μετὰ καὶ τῶν γλυκυτάτων ἀδελφῶν μου, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸ προσκύνημα ὑμῶν ποιοῦμαι ἡμερησίως παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ Σεράπιδι. εὑρὼν τὸν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐρχόμενον ἀναπλέονταἠπειγόμην διʼ ἐπιστολῆς ἀσπάσασθ…