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 Herakleides, a landowner, to Anchorimphis, probably his farm manager, telling him to clean the willows (or similar trees) shading the vines and find a buyer for them. He also asks for sweet palm-heart because he is unwell and for a report on the work of Papos' animals. It dates to about the middle of the 3rd century AD, probably from the Arsinoite nome.
The word itéina normally means willow-trees, but the museum description interprets the trees as palms whose crowns (enkephalion, 'palm-heart') were cut; 'enkephalion' is the edible palm-heart. The museum record places the text at Theadelphia in the second half of the 3rd century, while the other records give the Arsinoite nome (?) around mid-century.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Private Letter Regarding Farm Matters). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
Herakleides, the writer was the owner of a farm which contained a palm grove with wines planted beneath the palms. These had reached such a height that the vines growing beneath them were receiving too much shade. Therefore it had become necessary to sacrifice the palms by cuttin…
Ἡρακλείδης Ἀγχορίμφει χαίρειν. εὖ ποιήσεις τὰ ἰτέϊνα καθάρας καὶ σκεψάμενος ἀγοραστὴν αὐτῶν. κἂν μὲν ὑπόστασιν λάβῃς, δήλωσόν μοι, ἐὰν δὲ ἀγοραστὴν μὴ εὕρῃς, πάλιν γράψον μοι. πότε δεῖ αὐτὰ κοπῆναι κοπῆναι ἵνα αἱ ἄμπελοι μὴ σκιάζωνται, πέμψον μοι ἐνκεφάλιον γλυκὺ ἐπεὶ ἀσθενέστερό…
Spotted an error, a mis-mapped findspot, or have a suggestion? We read every note.