Home › Spine › TM 37112
One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 37112

Letter to a brother about solidi paid out on an estate TM 37112Oxyrhynchos (?)VI - VII

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 fragmentary late antique letter to a 'brother' about money matters on a landowner's estate: the writer lists sums of gold solidi paid out, fears disgrace before the estate stewards, reports the words of a count, and asks urgently to be sent help. Probably from Oxyrhynchus, 6th-7th century AD.

In English machine translation

[verso] From […] […] since you wrote to me that unless 8 solidi, I do not receive; a day's wage (?) and solidi […] […] the house of the landowner except me. Rather, brother, do you not know [that] […] […] from the gold which we received; for to Alphios 30 solidi, to Xer… […] solidi […] […] another solidus, and for others 24 solidi, and I paid out much else. For the rest, the lord […] […] I am about to be disgraced before all the stewards; behold […] […] they heard all the disputed matters from the count, that these […] […] to the festival the assistant goes out, providing you with cushions (?) […] […] do [these things]. I remember, brother, that John the stable-man said […] Martha provides. And just now you wrote that only 30 each; what is possible for you […] payment; for I too am making my defence to you. You know, brother, that another 200 solidi are being demanded […] […] and let us not receive them. As the Lord lives, said the count, if it remains on the ground […] of the receipt, the priest must pay from his own means. For the rest, I know […] simply, let there be no negligence, so that they do not kill me. Farewell. […] for God's sake, send to me, since I am in need, brother. [recto] Deliver to Tothamei… […]

Solidi (nomismata) were the standard gold coins of the period; the 'count' (komes) is a high official or estate administrator, and the 'stewards' (pronoetai) managed parts of large estates.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Fragmentum epistulae). 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.iand.2.23

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · VI - VII · Oxyrhynchos (?)

[v] παρά […]ἐπειδὴ ἔγραψές μοι ὅτι εἰ μὴ νομίσματα η οὐ λαμβάνω· ἡμέριον καὶ νομι[…] […] τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ γεούχου εἰ μὴ ἐγώ· μᾶλλον, ἄδελφε, οὐκ οἶδες ὅτι[…] […]… ἀπὸ τοῦ χρυσίου οὗ ἐλάβαμεν· τῷ γὰρ Ἀλφίῳ νομίσματα λ τῷ Ξερ…[…]νομίσματα[…] […]νόμισμα ἄλλο, καὶ ἄλλων νομίσματα κδ κα…