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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 33637

Letter from Psaeis and Syra to their son Ision TM 33637OxyrhynchosIV

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 →

A private letter from the parents Psaeis and Syra to their son Ision, reporting that the household had been ill but recovered, that the piglets were not yet slaughtered, and that fish had been pickled for his visit. It reminds him of an errand concerning knives and pepper and sends many greetings; written at Oxyrhynchus in the 4th century AD.

In English machine translation

[recto] To my lord son Ision, Psaeis and Syra, many greetings. Before all else I pray that you are in health and well-being before the lord God. Your brother Thonis greets you warmly. Next, since the new year we have been very ill, but we give thanks to God that we have recovered, and up to now we have not slaughtered the piglets. We are expecting you to come. You know that last year we did not pickle fish in brine (?), but this year we have done so, and if it turns out well, I will get it ready for when you come. As I instructed you about the lobin (?) of knives and about the pepper. Your brothers Horion and Heraiskos greet you; An[…] and her children greet you; Tachosis and her husband greet you; Triadelphos and his wife and his children greet you. I greet Kamokos and his household, I greet Hepsates and his wife with their children, I greet Hatres and Psekes and all our people by name. I pray for your health for many years. Hathyr 10. [verso] Deliver to Ision […] from Syra and Psaeis, his parents.

The phrase "lord God" suggests Christian senders. The word lobin is unexplained, and garera seems to mean fish pickled in garum-type brine.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter of Psaïs an Syra). 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.oxy.10.1299

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · IV · Oxyrhynchos

[r] κυρίῳ μου υἱῷ Ἰσίωνι Ψᾶεις καὶ Σύρα πολλὰ χαίρειν. πρὸ μὲν πάντων εὔχομαί σε ὑγιαίνειν καὶ ὁλοκληρεῖν παρὰ τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ· ἀσπάζεταί σοι πολλὰ Θῶνις ὁ ἀδελφός σου. ἔπειτα ἀπὸ τοῦ νέου ἔτους πολλὰ ἐνοσοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ εὐχαριστοῦμεν τῷ θεῷ ὅτι πεπαυμένοι ἐσμέν, καὶ μέχρι τούτου οὐ τεθ…