Home › Spine › TM 30047
One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 30047

Letter from Ptolemaios to his brother Zosimos about collecting debts TM 30047Alexandria (?)frühes III

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 Ptolemaios to his brother Zosimos, reproaching him for not delivering letters and instructing him to collect what certain men (Longinus, Serenus, Strenion and others) owe, issue receipts for partial payments and pass the proceeds to Saturnilus. It closes with greetings to his sister and household; it dates to the early 3rd century AD, possibly from Alexandria.

In English machine translation

[recto] Ptolemaios to Zosimos his brother, very many greetings. Before all else I pray that you are in good health, and I make your obeisance before the lord Sarapis. You did not do well, having received letters from me to give […] you did not send […] you did not send to him […] do not hesitate, be […] to all, to whom me […] they may pay out what they owe […] to give no pretext […] in seed, to make known, that is, their names: Longinus and Serenus and Strenion […] of Ptolemaios and the son of […]. If they give you anything in part, give them a receipt and transfer it to Saturnilus my brother, until […] the letters from him […] of the surplus (?) artabas […] he is collecting this year […] my slave girl […] to her six, writing to me […] write: I received […]. I greet my sister […] and all those in the house […]. I pray for your health. [verso] Deliver to Zosimos his brother, from Ptolemaios his brother.

"Brother" may be a term of affection rather than literal kinship. The word rendered "surplus" (perisynos) is obscure and the reading 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 from Ptolemaios to Zosimos). 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 →

bgu.15.2494

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · frühes III · Alexandria (?)

[r] Πτολεμαῖος Ζωσίμῳ τῷ ἀδελφῷ πλεῖστα χαίρειν. πρὸ μὲν πάντων εὔχομαι σὲ ὑγιαίνειν καὶ τὸ προσκύνημα σοῦ ποιῶ παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ Σαράπιδι. οὐ καλῶς ἐποίησας λαβὼν παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἐπιστόλεια δοῦναι […]… οὐκ ἔπεμψας […]οὐκ ἔπεμψας αὐτῷ […]μὴ ὀκνήσῃς, γενοῦ […]τον πᾶσι, οἷς μοι …[…]ἐξοδιάσωσ…