Private Letter
Letter from Kollouthos to his brother(?) Isidoros, complaining of the latter's failure to meet certain obligations connected with an agricultural enterprise
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 32729
Letter from Kollouthos to Isidoros about tools and barley TM 32729unknown place, province of EgyptIVth 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 →
A private letter from Kollouthos to Isidoros, whom he calls his lord and brother, complaining that Isidoros has refused to send certain implements through a man named Aloabai and has not delivered the barley in full. He urges him to come up secretly with the items, as the time has come. It dates to the 4th century AD, and the Christian chi-rho on the back suggests a Christian writer.
In English machine translation
[recto]
To my lord brother Isidoros, Kollouthos, greetings.
You are not doing well in refusing to send the threshing tools (?) by Aloabai, nor have you paid in full the barley. [...] Be willing to come up secretly, bringing them. It is time.
I pray for your health for many years.
[verso]
☧ To Isidoros
The word written alotra is uncertain; it may stand for aloitra or a word connected with the threshing floor (halon), hence 'threshing tools (?)'. 'Brother' may be a courtesy term rather than a family relationship.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Colluthus to Isidorus). 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.8.520
[r] κυρίῳ μου ἀδελφῷ Ἰσιδώρῳ Κολλοῦθος χαίρειν. οὐ καλῶς ποιεῖς μὴ θέλων πέμψαι τὰ ἀλωτρα διὰ Ἀλωαβάι, οὐδὲ τὰς κριθὰς ἐπλήρωσας. … θέλησον ἀνελθεῖν κατακρυβῇ φέρων αὐτά. καιρός ἐστιν. ἐρρῶσθαί σε εὔχομαι πολλοῖς χρόνοις. [v] ☧ Ἰσιδώρῳ