Letter
Letter from Theophilus to his employer John, a comes, acknowledging the receipt of various articles and asking for other favours.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 37144
Letter from Theophilos to the count John acknowledging gifts of provisions TM 37144Oxyrhynchus6th century
The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 3 records across 3 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →
A sixth-century letter from Oxyrhynchus in which Theophilos, a town councillor, thanks his patron the count John for a delivery of wine, honey, bread and other goods, and asks for a jar of radish oil because his household is sick. He also complains that a rug for a foal has been forgotten.
In English machine translation
[recto]
+
I have received the things sent to me by your magnificence through Ioustos, the servant of your magnificence, namely 20 knidia of wine and 20 spathia and 3 knidia of honey and 3 of stagma (?) and 5 hydriai of loaves and 1 pot of boukion (?). And may your magnificence live for many good years with your bountiful house. Since the women who do reverence to your magnificence and the children are ill, as your greatness is accustomed to show favour to my little account (?), may your greatness send me a round jar of radish oil. Your greatness has given no further thought to the rug for the foal of the slave of your magnificence, Makarios.
[verso]
Deliver to my master in all things, the most magnificent count and my patron, John, from Theophilos, councillor.
Knidia and spathia are types of wine jars; stagma and boukion are uncertain products. The phrase about 'my little account' is obscure in the Greek and the translation is tentative.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as 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.
p.oxy.1.155
[r] π τὰ ἀποσταλέντα μοι παρὰ τῆς ὑμῶν μεγαλοπρεπείας διὰ Ἰούστου τοῦ παιδὸς τῆς σῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας ἐδεξάμην, λέγω δὴ οἴνου κνίδια εἴκοσι καὶ σπαθία εἴκοσι καὶ κνίδια μέλιτος τρία καὶ στάγματος τρία καὶ ὑδρίας ἄρτων πέντε καὶ κύθραν βουκίου μίαν, καὶ πολλοῖς χρόνοις καὶ καλοῖς τὴ…