Business Letter
End of a communication concerning camels
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 31552
End of a business letter concerning camels and their gear TM 31552UnknownIIIrd 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 →
End of a business letter of the 3rd century AD concerning camels and their equipment (pack-saddle, muzzles, bits, goads, a wineskin). The writer gives instructions that the camels be followed while loading, that there be no delay, and that no money or fodder be accepted until the work is done.
In English machine translation
[…] neighbor (?) the pack-saddle of the camel and the muzzles (?). They have threshing-sledges (?) and two bits, and […] a yoke-strap and the two goads and one wineskin, and the other to the Oasis. Write there to follow the camels if they load up, and let them not delay; and give orders not to accept money nor fodder brought by cart (?) until they are working and it is completed. Aion has the […] with money […]
Several equipment terms (phorbeia, triboloi, karaboton) are rare and their exact meaning is uncertain. The mention of 'the Oasis' suggests traffic to one of the Western Desert oases.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as End of a Communication). 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.15.717
[…]τόμορος τὸ σαγὶν τῆς καμήλου καὶ τὰς φορβειάς. ἔχουσιν τριβόλους καὶ χειλώματα δύο καὶ κατ…λεν ζευγοστόμιον καὶ τοὺς κέντρωνας δύο καὶ ἀσκὸν ἕνα καὶ εἰς Ὤασιν τὸν ἄλλον. ἔγραψον ἐκεῖ τοῖς καμήλοις ἀκολουθεῖν ἐὰν γεμίζωσιν καὶ μὴ χρονιζέσθωσαν καὶ ἐντέλλου μὴ χρῆμα μὴ καράβοτον…