Petition of boatmen about the imprisonment of Pauseiris TM 28959ArsinoitesII

Fragment of a petition from boatmen, probably to an official of the Arsinoite nome, in the 2nd century AD. They complain that the elders and pilots they brought to the metropolis slipped away, and that Melas, the official in charge of the extra freight charge, has detained and locked up one of them, Pauseiris; they ask for protection while they serve in the nome.

In English machine translation

The paranaulon was a supplementary charge on freight transport; Melas was the official responsible for collecting it. The beginning and end of the petition are lost, so the addressee and petitioners' names are unknown apart from Pauseiris.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Requête). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.