Petition of a cleruch against men who cultivated his allotment without a lease TM 3330Magdola (Arsinoites)28. Jan. 222 v.Chr.

[recto] To King Ptolemy, greetings from Polemaios, Macedonian, epilarch of the men of Pythangelos and of Ptolemaios his son, cleruch. I am wronged by Polemon, Macedonian, holder of 30 arouras, and by Aristomachos. For I hold from you, O King, a cleruchic allotment near the village of Hiera Nesos, in the division of Herakleides, of 82 1/2 arouras. In year 23, while I was in Alexandria for a lawsuit and none of my people was on the spot, the aforementioned Polemon, having leased the half-allotment from the crown, though there was no contract between me and him, sowed the whole allotment in year 23, the crops of which belong to year 24. And in year 24, the aforementioned men, though they had not leased the half-allotment from the crown and had no contract with me, sowed it with sesame and wheat and have carried off the crops against all justice, with the complicity of Philon the crop-guard. When I came back from Alexandria I demanded from each of them the rents, just as in former times I used to lease it at a rent of 4 1/2 artabas of wheat for each aroura, which makes in wheat for the two years: for the one year, the rent of the half-allotment, 185 1/2 1/8 artabas of wheat; for year 24, the crops of which belong to year 25, the rent of the whole allotment, 371 1/4 artabas of wheat. They do not pay, but always agreeing to pay they put me off. I therefore ask you, O King, to order Diophanes the strategos to write to Menelaos the epistates to send them for judgement; and, if what I write is true, that each of them be made to pay me his share of the rent from the aforementioned amount, at a price of 4 silver drachmas for each aroura. As for their having sown it by force, I shall obtain justice from them later. For if this is done, […] […] [verso] Year 25, Loios 26, Choiak 13. Ptolemaios against Polemon and Aristomachos concerning […] […]