Fragment of an agreement from Oxyrhynchus, probably of the later 6th century AD, between two parties, one the son of a deceased deacon and the other a man named Apollos with his paternal half-brother (?). Having a dispute, they agree by common consent to go before a respected arbitrator, accept his ruling, and abide by it.
In English machine translation
[…]
[…] the late […]
[…]
[…]
[… 1 line lost …]
[So-and-so, son] of […] of pious memory, the late deacon,
[…] [and on the other] part Apollos
[…] brother on the father's side
[…] both
[…] signing [below] with their own hand,
[…] [from the city of the Oxyrhyn]chites,
[…] having disputed with one another
[about evident] matters, by common consent
[…] the most reverend (?) […], on condition that
they appear before him
and receive from him a ruling
[…] and abide
[by these and not] transgress […]
The word translated 'ruling' (typos) refers to the arbitrator's binding decision; the arbitrator's name and title in the abbreviated line are not fully preserved.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Pacti fragmentum). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.