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Letter from Horigenes to the silversmith Serenos TM 30434OxyrhynchitesIII

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 Horigenes to Serenos, a silversmith he calls his brother, saying he prays for him daily before the local gods, inviting him to visit for a few days since many people from Oxyrhynchus are there, and reproaching him for not writing back. It dates to the 3rd century AD and comes from the Oxyrhynchite nome.

In English machine translation

[recto] Horigenes to Serenos his brother, greetings. I want you to know that I ⟨make⟩ obeisance for you every day before the gods here. Please come to us for a few days. For many Oxyrhynchites are here. I blame you because you have not yet written back to me. Greet the overseer and Sarapammon the brother and the teacher (female) and all those at home. I pray for your health, brother. [verso] Deliver to Serenos, silversmith.

The 'proskynema' formula refers to an act of worship on someone's behalf before a deity. The teacher greeted is a woman, and 'brother' may be a term of affection rather than kinship.

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 Horigenes). 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.31.2595

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

[r] Ὡριγένης Σερήνωι τῷ ἀδελφῶι χαίρειν. γινώσκειν σε θέλω ὅτι τὸ προσκύνημά σου ποιῶ καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν παρὰ τοῖς ἐνθάδε θεοῖς. καλῶς ποιήσεις ἐλθὼν πρὸς ἡμᾶς πρὸς ὀλίγας ἡμέρας. καὶ γὰρ πολλοὶ Ὀξυρυγχῖται ἔνουσι ἐνθάδε. μέμφομαι δέ σε ὅτι οὔπω μοι ἀντέγραψας. ἀσπάζου τὸν ἐπιστ…