Petition of the widow Nikaia for appointment of a guardian TM 3297Magdola (Arsinoites)13. Jan. 218 v.Chr.

[recto] To King Ptolemy, greetings from Nikaia daughter of Nikias, Persian. My husband Pausanias died in year 23, leaving a will of the same year, in the month Panemos […], by which he leaves […]naios, his own son, as my guardian. It has now happened that he too has died, in year 4, in the month Daisios, Egyptian Hathyr, and I have no relative who will be registered as my guardian. So that, for this reason, the property left to me by my husband may not be ruined, since I have no guardian with whom I can make arrangements concerning it, I beg you, O King, to order Diophanes the strategos that there be given to me as guardian Demetrios, Thracian, one of the 100-aroura men of Ptolemy son of Eteoneus, of the […] hipparchy, to whom Pausanias also gave his sister in marriage, and that the strategos make a written record of this, so that I may have it as an official document. And since, being elderly and having become ill, I cannot come to Krokodilopolis, and have sent the aforementioned Demetrios to deliver the petition, I ask that Diophanes write to Dioskourides the epistates to make a descriptive record of me and of the guardian I request, and to report in writing to Diophanes. For when this is done, I shall have obtained, O King, your benevolence. Farewell. To Dioskourides. Take some of the elders of the village, go to Nikaia ⟦person⟧ and if […] make clear to us the descriptions. Year 4, Daisios 27, Hathyr 29. [verso] Year 4, Daisios 27, Hathyr 29. Nikaia daughter of Nikias, Persian, concerning what she requests.