A petition to King Ptolemy IV from Harmeusis, a wool merchant of Krokodilopolis, against Seos, a Jew of Alabanthis. Seos had sold him 118 fleeces and taken a deposit of 76 drachmas, but then sheared the sheep and kept the wool himself; Harmeusis asks that the strategos Diophanes summon Seos and compel him to deliver the wool. It is dated 11 May 218 BC.
In English machine translation
[recto]
To King Ptolemy, greetings from Harmeusis, wool merchant, one of those residing in Krokodilopolis.
I am wronged by Seos, a Jew, one of those residing in Alabanthis. For he sold me 118 fleeces of crossbred(?) wool at 4 drachmas 5 obols 2 chalkoi each, which I bought jointly with Amyntas so that […] from the royal advance(?), and he received from me an earnest payment of 76 drachmas, on condition that I would pay him the rest […] when I shear the wool. Seos went to the […] flock(?), […] and […] and sheared it
and carried it off to himself, and when I demand the wool from him [he does not give it back. I] beg
you therefore, O King, if it seems good to you, to order Diophanes the strategos to [write] […] to the epistates to send Seos to Diophanes the strategos so that, if it appears […]
the wool and having received the earnest money, he may compel him to deliver the wool to me. For if this is done,
I shall not be wronged, and the taxes owed at Alexandria […] Amyntas, with whom I bought jointly, and more cargo, but having taken refuge with you, O King, [the] common saviour [of all],
we shall obtain justice.
[…]
[verso]
Year 4, Dios 3, Phamenoth 27.
Harmiusis, wool merchant, against
Seos concerning wool.
The docket gives a double date in the Macedonian (Dios) and Egyptian (Phamenoth) calendars. The arrabon is an earnest payment sealing the sale, with the balance due at shearing.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Achat de toisons). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.