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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 37470

Letter from the imprisoned clerk Justus to his master George asking for money TM 37470OxyrhynchosVI - 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 letter from Justus, a chartularius (clerk), to his master George, reporting that he and his companions were arrested at Thmoinepsi and jailed at Herakleopolis. Starving and having sold their clothes, they beg George to have the rent-collector Paomis send them one solidus from their monthly pay. Written at Oxyrhynchus in the 6th or 7th century AD.

In English machine translation

[recto] 643 ☧ So that my good master may know that we did not learn (?). They seized us at Thmoinepsi and took us into the prison of the Herakleopolites. Now we beg your magnificence to make inquiry about your servants, because we are in prison and have nothing to eat, and we have sold even our clothes. Now we beg you to order that our master be asked to hold Paomis the rent-collector, so that he may send us one solidus from our monthly allowances, so that we do not die of hunger, since we have no hope except God first and your magnificence. [verso] ☧ To my master […] most magnificent, worthy of honour, lord George, Justus the chartularius, your servant †

The number 643 at the top is written as the Christian isopsephism χμγ, a common heading in late letters. A solidus (holokottinos) was the standard gold coin of the period.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Justus to George). 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.56.3870

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

[r] χμγ ☧ ἵνα μάθῃ ὁ ἐμὸς ἀγαθὸς δεσπότης ὅτι οὐκ ἐμάθομεν. ἐπίασαν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ Θμοινέψι καὶ ἔλαβον ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ τῆς Ἡρακλεοπολιτῶν. νῦν δὲ παρακαλοῦμεν τὴν ὑμετέραν μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἵνα ζητῆσαι περὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων δούλων, ὅτι ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ ἐσμὲν καὶ μὴ ἔχομεν τίποτε προσφάγιν καὶ…