Letter from Herocas to Iercuis
A letter to Iercuis from her brother Herocas which consists of the usual small matters which occupy the minds of most letter writers.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 30621
Letter from Herokas to his sister Ierkuis about a loan and a tunic TM 30621Kom Aushim (Karanis)3rd 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 Herokas to his sister Ierkuis, found at Karanis and dating to the 3rd century AD. He tells her that a woman named Herousat owes him 400 drachmas, asks her to collect the money with interest and have a tunic made for him, mentions gifts sent, sends greetings, and complains that she never writes.
In English machine translation
[recto]
Herokas to Ierkuis his sister, many greetings.
I make obeisance for you every day before the great Sarapis. I want you to know that Herousat received from me 400 drachmas. If she pays them, accept them with interest at 4 drachmas per mina from the month of Pachon of the Greeks. If you receive them, make me a tunic at once. I sent […] a little basket of nuts, and I gave Ptolemaios tablets (?) […]. And if someone called Pasion brings you a letter, examine him carefully and give him the tunic. And shake them out so that they do not become salt-eaten (?).
I greet you and your husband and your children. I greet […] and the children of Demetrios. I greet Per[…] and his wife and the children.
Look how many letters I have sent you, and you have not sent me even one. And so that you may know, my father and my mother again […] me
[…]
[…] letter.
[verso]
[Deliver to Ierkuis from] Herokas her brother.
The interest of 4 drachmas per mina is presumably monthly, i.e. 4% a month. The word rendered 'salt-eaten' (halobrota) is rare; it likely refers to damage to stored items such as clothing.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter from Herocas to Iercuis). 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.cair.isid.132
[r] Ἡρωκᾶς Ἰερκυῖτι τῇ ἀδελφῇ πολλὰ χαίρειν. τὸ προσκύνημά σου ποιῶ καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν παρὰ τῷ μεγάλῳ Σαράπιδι. γινώσκειν σε θέλω ὅτι ἔλαβε παρʼ ἐμοῦ Ἡροῦσατ δραχμὰς τετρακοσίας . ἐὰν διδῇ αὐτὰς δέξαι αὐτὰ τόκου τῆς μνᾶς δραχμῶν τεσσάρων ἀπὸ τοῦ Παχὼν μηνὸς Ἑλλήνων. ἐὰν αὐτὰς λά…