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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 35622

Petition of a widow against her son over her husband's debts TM 35622Oxyrhynchos465 - 498

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 petition from the widow Aurelia Aeous to Flavius Phoibammon, 'father of the city' of Oxyrhynchus, complaining that her son Aeion, who inherited from his late father, is trying to shift part of his father's debts onto her and claims her ancestral house. She asks that he be summoned and the case judged, adding that she had pledged her little daughter for 4 solidi to pay his chrysargyron tax.

In English machine translation

To Flavius Phoibammon, politeuomenos, father of the city of the Oxyrhynchites, from Aurelia Aeous, from the same city. My husband departed from human affairs still owing debts. My son Aeion, having taken a wife for himself and having obtained property from his father's wealth, is scheming to shift onto me, his mother, part of the debt, while also laying claim to my ancestral dwelling. Therefore I beg your firmness to order him to appear, since he has indeed acquired property for himself, and has his infant brothers toiling with him, and to hear us and provide a just ruling. For it is clear that on his behalf, for the chrysargyron, I pledged my little daughter for 4 gold solidi. I, Aurelia Aeous, have submitted (this).

The chrysargyron was a tax on traders and craftsmen, abolished in AD 498; the 'father of the city' (pater poleos) was a late antique municipal official. Pledging a child as security for debt is a striking social detail.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Petition to a Πατὴρ Πόλεως). 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.63.4393

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · 465 - 498 · Oxyrhynchos

Φλαουΐῳ Φοιβάμμωνι πολιτευομένῳ πατρὶ πόλεως Ὀξυρυγχίτου παρὰ Αὐρηλίας Ἀηοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως. τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ὑπεξῆλθεν ὁ ἐμὸς ἀνὴρ ἐποφείλων χρέα. ὁ δὲ υἱός μου Ἀείων, γυναῖκα ἑαυτῷ ἀγαγὼν καὶ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ εὐπορίας τῶν πραγμάτων εὑρών, μελετᾷ ἐπικλᾶσαι ἐμοὶ τῇ μητρ…