Private Letter
Letter from Ptolemaios to his father, informing him that Ptolemaios has chosen to act as agoranomos for a cult banquet in honor of Sarapis and asking him to undertake for him the duty of providing five loads of wood for the banquet
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 30511
Letter from Ptolemaios to his father about wood for a banquet of Sarapis TM 30511Memphis oder Ptolemais Euergetis (Arsinoites)(First half of the) IIIrd century A.D.
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A private letter from Ptolemaios to his father, telling his parents that he has taken the post of agoranomos (market official) for a banquet of the god Sarapis, which spares him the fees and earns him double portions. He asks his father to bring up five donkey-loads of wood for the banquet, promising to repay the costs.
In English machine translation
Ptolemaios to his father, greeting.
I want you and my mother to know that the fee for silence (?) of the banquet couch is 24 drachmas and for the place another 22 drachmas. So, having reckoned it up, I have taken on the office of agoranomos, so that I pay neither the silence fee nor the place fee, but I even receive double portions, and I supply them with wood. From now on, therefore, take care of it, and if you come up you will receive the hire for the donkeys. For 5 loads are needed. If you need me, send me word and I will come down with two other friends so that you do not toil. For no man can refuse the lord Sarapis. For there are another two months until the banquet. If you can bring them up on your donkey, bring them up, and you will find the drachmas for your expenses.
Farewell.
The klinē of Sarapis was a cult banquet held by an association; the 'siōpētikon' appears to be a fee paid, perhaps for exemption or for silence, and its exact meaning is uncertain. The agoranomos here is an officer of the banquet association rather than the city market magistrate.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Ptolemaeus to his Father). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
p.mich.8.511
Πτολεμαῖος τῷ πατρὶ χαίρειν. γινώσκειν σε θέλω καὶ τὴν μητέρα μου ὅτι σιωπητικοῦ τῆς κλίνης δραχμαὶ κδ καὶ τόπου ἄλλαι δραχμαὶ κβ. λογισάμενος οὖν ἦρκα ἀγορανομίαν ἵνα μήτε σιωπητικοῦ μήτε τόπου δῶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διπλᾶ μέρη λαμβάνω καὶ χορηγῶ αὐτοῖς ξύλα. ἀπʼ ἐντεῦθεν οὖν φρόντισον κα…