One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 31141

Letter from Aphynchis the smith to Areion the priest about four jars of oil TM 31141unbekanntIII

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 →

Private letter from Aphynchis, a smith, to his 'brother' Areion, a priest, reporting that four jars of oil marked with Plutarchos' name were loaded on the boat of Hierax. He tells Areion not to pay Hierax freight, since Hierax owes Plutarchos 2,600 drachmas, and asks him to collect and keep the jars until he arrives.

In English machine translation

Aphynchis to Areion his brother, greeting. Before all else I pray that you are well together with your children. I want you to know, brother, that we loaded onto the boat of Hierax the citizen (?), your friend (where were you staying?), here at his house, four badia of oil, total 4, and they are labelled with the name of Plutarchos. So as for the freight charge, give him nothing. For Hierax owes Plutarchos 2,600 silver drachmas, total 2,600 drachmas; but [I asked (?)] Hierax how much the freight is, and he said that it is clear. So please, brother, take the four badia from him and, if you wish, leave them with you until I come to you, so that it is not carried off again. […] [margin] […] Areion […] Aphynchis. Please read this little letter out to Herakleia; and leave the greater part of the badia with you until I arrive. Farewell. [verso] Deliver to Areion, priest, from Aphynchis the smith.

A badion is a type of jar or measure for oil with no exact English equivalent. The sentence about asking Hierax the freight is garbled in the original, and some lines are lost before the marginal postscript.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Privatbrief). 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.bad.2.43

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

[r,ctr] Ἀφύνχις Ἀρείωνι τῷ ἀδελφῷ χαίρειν. πρὸ μὲν πάντων εὔχομαί σε ὑγιαίνειν μετὰ τῶν τέκνων σου· γιγνώσκειν σε θέλω, ἄδελφε, ὅτι ἐνεβαλόμεθα εἰς τὸ πλοῖον Ἱέρακος τοῦ πολιτικοῦ τοῦ φίλου σου. ὅπου ἔμενες; ἐνθάδε ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐλαίου βάδια τέσσαρα γίνεται δ, ἐπιγεγραμμένα δ…