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A letter from Theonas, a soldier in camp, to his mother Tetheus, explaining that he has not written because of duties in camp, not illness, and reassuring her that he was not seriously ill. He thanks her for gifts brought by his brother Dionytas and asks her not to trouble herself to send anything more. It dates to the early 2nd century AD, probably from the Oxyrhynchite nome.
The word translated 'presents' (thallia, thallos) literally means 'green shoots' or 'branches', a term used for small gifts of food or goods. 'In camp' renders parembolē, a military camp.
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 a Soldier to his Mother). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
[r] Θεωνᾶς Τεθεῦτι τῆι μητρὶ καὶ κυρίᾳ πλεῖστα χαίρειν. γινώσκειν σε θέλω ὅτι διὰ τοσούτου χρόνου οὐκ ἀπέσταλκά σοι ἐπιστόλιον διότι ἐν παρεμβολῇ εἰμι καὶ οὐ διʼ ἀσθένειαν, ὥστε μὴ λυποῦ. λίαν δʼ ἐλυπήθην ἀκούσας ὅτι ἤκουσας. οὐ γὰρ δεινῶς ἠσθένησα. μέμφομαι δὲ τὸν εἴπαντα σοι. μ…
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