Private Letter
Fragmentary letter from Chairemon to Serapion, asking him to write back
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 30513
Letter from Chairemon in Alexandria to Serapion asking for news TM 30513Alexandria(?), province of EgyptIIIrd 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 fragmentary private letter from Chairemon, who has gone to Alexandria, to Serapion. He complains that he has received no news since his arrival, asks Serapion to write, and sends greetings to several people, including Sarapias and her children and Pasoxis the carpenter. It dates to the 3rd century AD.
In English machine translation
[recto]
Chairemon to Serapion […], greetings.
Before all else I pray for your health, and I make obeisance on your behalf before the lord Sarapis every day. I want you to know that also […]
Libys (?) […] you have sent me no word since I came to Alexandria. If then you love me, do not neglect to write to me. I greet […]
and Sarapias and her children. Pasoxis the carpenter greets you, and your children […] and his wife […]
[…] you by name […]
[…]
[verso]
Deliver to Serapion from Chairemon. […]
Much of the right side is restored from standard letter formulas, so the exact wording of the greetings and complaint is uncertain. The provenance Alexandria is inferred from the text and is marked as uncertain in one record.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Chairemon to Serapion). 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.8.513
[r] Χαιρήμων Σεραπίωνι […]χαίρειν. πρὸ μὲν πάντων εὔχομαί σε ὑγιαίνειν καὶ τὸ προσκύνημά σου ποιῶ παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ Σαράπιδι καθʼ ἡμέραν. γινώσκειν σε θέλω ὅτι καὶ παρ[…] Λίβυν οὐδεμίαν φάσιν μοι ἀπέστειλας ἀφʼ ἧς ἦλθον εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν. ἐὰν οὖν με φιλῇς, μὴ ἀμελήσῃς γράψαι μοι. ἀσπά…