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Petition of a barber against Malichos concerning unpaid wages TM 3322Ptolemais ton Arabon (Arsinoites)26. Febr. 221 v.Chr.

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 →

Petition to King Ptolemy from Parates, an Arab barber of Ptolemais of the Arabs, complaining that Malichos has not paid him for years of contracted services to his household, and that Malichos had made him swear an oath in the temple of Athena. The strategos Diophanes' docket instructs the epistates to reconcile the parties or send them to the proper court; dated 221 BC.

In English machine translation

[recto] To King Ptolemy, greetings from Parates, Arab, barber, one of those living in Ptolemais of the Arabs. I am wronged by Malichos son of […]sazaios. For although I provided my services to him and attended blamelessly with my craft to all his relatives […] custom, and for several years for a fixed payment, as had been agreed between me and Malichos, now […] of the past year 26, and when a dispute arose between me and […] about these matters, he even made me swear, bringing me to the temple of Athena, that truly I had not received […]. I beg you, O King, not to overlook me […] being wronged, since I am a craftsman, but to order Diophanes the strategos to write to Ptolemaios the epistates, if indeed I have sworn to him, […] if he is willing even now to pay me what I claim […], but if he raises any objection, to send him to Diophanes so that he may be judged with me. For if this is done, O King, I shall have obtained every kindness from you. Farewell. (Docket) To Ptolemaios. Preferably reconcile them; if not, send them so that they may be judged before the proper court. Year 1, Gorpiaios 28, Tybi 12. [verso] Year 1, Gorpiaios 28, Tybi 12. Parates, Arab, barber, against Malichos concerning wages.

Gaps make the exact content of the oath unclear; it seems Parates was made to swear he had not been paid. The double date gives the Macedonian and Egyptian months.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Salaire d’un barbier (serment)). 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.enteux.47

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · 26. Febr. 221 v.Chr. · Ptolemais ton Arabon (Arsinoites)

[r] βασιλεῖ Πτολεμαίωι χαίρειν Παράτης, Ἄραψ, κουρεύς, τῶν κατοικούντων Πτολεμαίδα τὴν τῶν Ἀράβων. ἀδικοῦμαι ὑπὸ Μαλίχου τοῦ[…]σαζαίου. ἐμοῦ γὰρ αὐτῶι τὰς χρείας παρεσχημένου καὶ τοῖς προσήκουσι αὐτῶι πᾶσι τεθεραπευκὼς ἀνεγκλήτως τῆι τέχνηι κ[…]…ν ἔθος καὶ ἐπὶ πλέονα ἔτη πρὸς σύν…