Private letter
Private letter from Heron to Didymos, asking him to go to Dionysias to buy covers for the tripods in some triclinium.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 28905
Letter from Heron to Didymos about buying tripod covers at Dionysias TM 28905Unknown 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 Heron to Didymos, passing on a request from Ptolemaios, the chief scribe, that Didymos go to Dionysias to buy covers for the tripod tables of a dining room and send them to him. Heron urges speed and encloses Ptolemaios' own letter. It dates to the 2nd century AD.
In English machine translation
[recto]
Heron to Didymos, most honoured, greetings.
Ptolemaios the chief scribe wrote to me to ask you to take the trouble to go to Dionysias and, having bought covers for dining-room tripods, also for him, since a close friend has pressed him, to send them on to him. And knowing that you will do it, I wrote to you ⟦you will do it, but⟧. But I ask you to do it quickly, since the friend too weighs on us with his requests. I think that his request will not be burdensome to you, being your friend. I have also sent you the letter from him.
I pray for your health, my lord.
[verso]
To Didymos from Heron.
The archigrammateus (chief scribe) was a senior official; the 'tripods' are three-legged tables used in a triclinium (dining room). The syntax of the sentence about the friend is awkward and its exact sense 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). 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.oslo.2.60
[r] Ἥρων Διδύμωι τῶι τιμιωτάτωι χαίρειν. Πτολεμαῖος ἀρχιγραμματεὺς ἔγραψέ μοι παρακαλέσαι σὲ ὅπως σκυλῇς εἰς Διονυσιάδα καὶ ἐπιθέματα τριπόδων τρικλινικῶν καὶ αὐτῷ φίλου ἀναγκαίου ἐπιθεμένου ἀγοράσας διαπέμπῃς αὐτῷ. καὶ εἰδὼς ὅτι ποιήσεις ἔγραψά σοι . ἀλλὰ τάχιον ποιῆσαι παρακαλῶ…