Official letter to the exactor of the Hermopolite nome about 716 artabas TM 32589unbekanntspätes IV

Fragment of a bilingual Greek and Latin official letter addressed to the exactor (tax collector) of the Hermopolite nome, possibly from the office of the prefect of the grain supply at Alexandria. It reports information brought by several people, including councillors of Alexandria, the steward Sarapammon and assistants, concerning 716 artabas owed or delivered from the nome. It dates to the late 4th century AD.

In English machine translation

The address appears in both Greek and Latin and the quantity is repeated in Latin words, typical of late Roman chancery documents. Diakentesis (literally 'piercing through') probably refers to probing grain cargoes for quality checks; the term has no exact English equivalent.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Amtliches Schreiben (viell. aus der Kanzlei des praefectus annonae Alexandriae)). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.