Home › Spine › TM 29034
One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 29034

Letter from Heraklammon to Kallistos urging him to come TM 29034OxyrhynchitesII (?)

The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 2 records across 2 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →

A private letter from Heraklammon to Kallistos, whom he calls his son, complaining that his letters have gone unanswered and urging him to come to him once he has finished a contract, so that family tensions may be set aside. It dates probably to the 2nd century AD and comes from the Oxyrhynchite nome.

In English machine translation

[recto] Heraklammon to Kallistos, his most esteemed son, greetings. I have already sent you several other letters, and you have not written back to me any more. Please, therefore, when you have completed the contract, or in whatever way, come to me as you wrote to me. For I think it is better for us to put up with one another than with strangers, as I also wrote to you before about the children, if you have anything in mind. For the old woman also sent word to me from Alexandria: "If you have Kallistos, you have the children." If you come, there will be nothing between us that can grieve me or you. I have also taken care of three young men, petteuristai (?). So write to me quickly, so that I may be cheerful […]. Greet your good Florentia and your children and Kanopos. Kyrilla greets you, and the little girls […]. I pray for your health. [verso] (Deliver) to Kallistos from Heraklammon.

"Son" (teknon) may be an affectionate address rather than literal kinship. The word petteuristai is obscure, possibly referring to board-game players or a kind of worker.

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

DDbDP-text Full record →

p.oxy.38.2860

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

[r] Ἡρακλάμμων Καλλίστῳ τῶι τιμιωτάτῳ τέκνῳ χαίρειν. ἤδη σοι καὶ ἄλλας ἐπιστολὰς ἔπεμψα ἱκανὰς καὶ σύ μοι οὐκέτι ἀντέγραψας. καλῶς οὖν ποήσεις ὁπόταν πληρώσῃς τὴν συνγραφὴν ἢ ὡς δήποτε γενέσθαι πρὸς ἐμὲ καθώς μοι ἔγραψας. ἡγοῦμαι γὰρ ὅτι ἄμεινον ἡμᾶς ἀνέχεσθαι ἀλλήλων ἢ ξένων ὡς …