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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 33706

Letter from Ptolemaios to the overseer Athenodoros demanding collection of gold TM 33706OxyrhynchosIV

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 business letter from Ptolemaios to Athenodoros, an estate or village overseer, at Oxyrhynchus in the 4th century AD. Pressed by the strategos, Ptolemaios orders him to collect three gold solidi owed for the commodium of Psobthis Mese, and a further sum from Plelo, and send them that day, threatening to have him summoned and made to pay if he ignores the note.

In English machine translation

Ptolemaios to Athenodoros, overseer (pronoetes), greetings. Three gold solidi are owed for the commodium of Psobthis Mese, about which I am being harassed by the strategos. So collect them from the debtors and send them up to me today so that they may be paid in. And concerning those from Plelo, there is owed …… ; do the same with them too. If, after receiving my note and reading it, you throw it up on top of your window-ledge, I too will wash my hands of it and have you summoned and made to pay. For it is enough if I bear the burdens of our troubles. I pray for your health. Year 13, Thoth 12.

The commodium was a levy, apparently in gold, connected with official transport or supplies; a pronoetes was a manager or overseer. The phrase about the window-ledge apparently means setting the letter aside and ignoring it.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Business Letter). 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.47.3358v

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

Πτολεμαῖος Ἀθηνοδώρῳ προνοητῇ χαίρειν. τρία χρυσᾶ ὀφείλεται ὑπὲρ κομμοδίου τῆς Ψώβθεως μέσης περὶ ὧν ἐνοχλοῦμαι ὑπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ. συλλέξας τοίνυν αὐτὰ παρὰ τῶν ὀφειλόντων ἀνάπεμψόν μοι ἐν τῇ σήμερον ἵνα διαγραφῇ. καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀπὸ Πλέλω δὲ _ ὀφείλεται …… καὶ ἀπʼ ἐκείνων _ τὸ αὐτὸ…