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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 33725

Letter from Sarapammon to Ammonios about collecting arrears to redeem pledges TM 33725OxyrhynchosIV

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 4th-century letter from Oxyrhynchus in which Sarapammon asks his 'brother' Ammonios to help Dorotheos, together with the couriers, collect outstanding sums from the fourth indiction. The money is needed to repay a loan from 'father' Dioskoros and to redeem pledged goods.

In English machine translation

⟦Account of Maximus⟧ To my lord brother Ammonios, Sarapammon, greetings. Our brother Dorotheos has come to you, having been asked by me to collect the outstanding arrears (?) of the fourth indiction. You know that our pledges are out of our hands, and that our father Dioskoros lent to us, and we want to pay him back. So make an effort to assist him, together with the couriers (symmachoi), until he has made the collection for the fourth indiction. For he is also able to know their account, and for this reason I asked him to come and make the collection, so that we may be able both to repay Dioskoros and recover our pledges. So do not hesitate to assist him, together with the couriers, until he has made the collection. I pray for your health for many years, brother.

The word ἐχθέσεις is probably for ἐκθέσεις, here understood as outstanding amounts or arrears. Symmachoi were letter-carriers or messengers often employed in tax collection; 'brother' and 'father' may be terms of respect, possibly in a Christian setting, rather than kinship.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter from Sarapammon to Ammonius). 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.48.3419

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

κυρίῳ μου ἀδελφῷ Ἀμμωνίῳ Σαραπάμμων χαίρειν. ἀπήντησεν πρὸς σὲ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Δωρόθεος ἀξιωθεὶς ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ ὥστε αὐτὸν ἀπαιτῆσαι τὰς ἐχθέσεις τὰς λοιπαζομένας τῆς τετάρτης ἰνδικτίωνος. οἶδας ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἐνέχυρα ἡμῶν ἔξω εἰσὶν καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν Διόσκορος ἔχρησεν ἡμῖν καὶ αὐτὸν θέλομεν …