Private Letter
Beginning of a letter from Ptolemaios to his mother Tamustha
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 30517
Letter from Ptolemaios to his mother Tamystha TM 30517unknown place (perhaps Alexandria?), province of EgyptIIIrd century/IVth 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 →
The opening of a private letter from Ptolemaios to his mother Tamystha, with the usual wishes for her health and a prayer on her behalf before the god Sarapis. He mentions sending her letters before the text breaks off. It dates to the 3rd or 4th century AD.
In English machine translation
Ptolemaios to Tamystha his mother,
greetings.
Before all else I pray that you are in good health, and I make your obeisance before the lord Sarapis.
I have sent you these letters […]
[…]
The 'obeisance' (proskynema) is a customary prayer made for the recipient before a god, here Sarapis, whose main cult centre was Alexandria. The place of writing is uncertain and only tentatively suggested as Alexandria.
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 Tamystha). 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.8.517
Πτολεμαῖος Ταμύσθᾳ τῇ μητρὶ χαίρειν. πρὸ μὲν πάντων εὔχομαί σε ὑγιαίνειν καὶ τὸ προσκύνημά σου ποιῶ παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ Σαράπιδι. ἀπέστειλά σοι τάδε ἐπιστόλια[…] [… ? lines lost …]