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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 30673

Letter from Didymos to his brother Apollonios about purple dye TM 30673unbekanntIII

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 Didymos to his brother Apollonios about purple dye (or purple wool) that Apollonios had sent through his son. Didymos asks for instructions on how much to use for each item and how it should be made, so the work can be finished quickly. Third century AD, from Oxyrhynchus.

In English machine translation

[recto] Didymos to Apollonios his brother, many greetings. Before all else I send you many greetings, and to your children, whom may the evil eye not touch. I wrote to you on another occasion too about the purple dye which you sent me through your son Apollonios, and now I write to you so that you may write back to me how much goes into each and how you want it made, so that it may be done for you quickly. I pray for your health. [verso] Deliver to the house of Sarmates, former prytanis, from Didymos.

The Greek porphyrion can mean purple dye or purple-dyed wool; the letter seems to concern making garments or items from it. The address names the house of Sarmates, a former prytanis (president of the town council), where the letter was to be delivered.

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 Didymus). 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.17.2150

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

[r] Δίδυμος Ἀπολλωνίῳ τῷ ἀδελφῷ πολλὰ χαίρειν. πρὸ μὲν πάντων σε πολλὰ προσαγορεύω καὶ τὰ ἀβάσκαντά σου παιδία. καὶ ἄλλοτε δέ σοι ἔγραψα περὶ τοῦ πορφυρίου οὗ μοι ἔπεμψας διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἀπολλωνίου, καὶ νῦν σοι γράψω ὅπως μοι ἀντεπιστείλῃς πόσον εἰς ἕκαστον καὶ πῶς θέλεις γένηται, ἵ…