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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 31917

Letter from Ptoleminos and Chairemon to their sister Sinthonis TM 31917OxyrhynchosEnde III - Anfang IV

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 Ptoleminos and Chairemon to their sister Sinthonis, reporting that Achilleus is seriously ill after repeated treatment on his feet and that the writer himself nearly died but has recovered. He complains she has not answered his letters and sends greetings to family; written at Oxyrhynchus around AD 300.

In English machine translation

[recto] Ptoleminos and Chairemon to Sinthonis their sister, greetings. Before all else we pray to God that we may receive you back in good health. I want you to know that Achilleus is very ill and has been operated on several times in the feet, and up to now he is ill and almost (?) even more so, and for this reason I was not able to speak to him. And I too was very sick, even to the point of death. But, and I thank God, I have recovered. And write to me about whatever you need, sister. And I have written to you several times and you have not written back to me. Greet our brother Palex and our mother and all your household by name. I pray for your health, sister. [verso] Deliver to Sinthonis from Ptoleminos.

The verb translated 'operated on' (echeiristhe) may refer to surgical or other manual medical treatment. The phrase about God and the singular 'God' may suggest a Christian writer, though this is not certain.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Ptoleminus to Sinthonis). 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.55.3816

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · Ende III - Anfang IV · Oxyrhynchos

[r] Πτολεμεῖνος καὶ Χαιρήμων Σινθώνει ἀδελφῇ χαίρειν. πρό γε πάντων εὐχόμεθα τῷ θεῷ ὅπως ὁλόκληρόν σε ἀπολάβωμεν. γνῶναί σε θέλω ὅτι Ἀχιλλεὺς πάνυ νοσεῖ καὶ ἐχειρίσθη ποσάκις εἰς τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰ ἕως ἄρτι νοσεῖ καὶ σχεδόν τι προσέτι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐδυνήθην λαλῆσαι αὐτῷ. καὶ …