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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 30333

Letter from Apollonios to Sarapammon about sesame, farm work and irrigation machines TM 30333OxyrhynchosIII

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 business letter from Apollonios to Sarapammon, probably his estate agent, at Oxyrhynchus in the 3rd century AD. He asks him to collect 2 artabas of sesame from Pamemphis, reproaches him for leaving without hearing instructions about sowing and rush-cutting, and orders that the irrigation machines be readied before the Nile flood.

In English machine translation

[recto] Apollonios to Sarapammon, greetings. I have sent you a sack so that you may receive from Pamemphis 2 artabas of sesame and send them up through Achilleus, or keep them with you […] until, when coming, […] of the chaff. And you stayed away without reason, although I wanted to tell you the arrangements for the sowing and the rush-cutting […] on this […] and that the marshy ground (?) may be burned. So let me know whether Moros is not ready to come up, and whether you found […] with you. Let little Polydeukes work with Melas the carpenter and not leave him; so let the irrigation machines be made ready, so that we may not be unprepared after the […] of the Nile […] let the estates be […]. Farewell. [verso] To Sarapammon from Apollonios.

The word rendered 'marshy ground' (deisa) refers to wet, overgrown land cleared by burning. 'Machines' (mechanai) here are water-lifting devices such as saqiyas.

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 Apollonius). 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.42.3066

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · III · Oxyrhynchos

[r] Ἀπολλώνιος Σαραπάμμωνι χαίρειν. ἔπεμψά σοι σάκκον ἵνα λάβῇς παρὰ τοῦ Παμέμφιος σησάμου ἀρτάβας δύο καὶ ἀναπέμψῃς διὰ Ἀχιλλέως ἢ ἔχῃς παρὰ σοὶ ε[…]…[…]λθ[…] ἕως ἂν ἐρχόμενος μ…[…]…[…]αν τοῦ ἀχύρου καὶ ἀπέμεινας ἀλόγως, καίτοι βουλομένου μου εἰπεῖν σοι τὴν διαταγὴν τῆς κατασπορ…