Letter from Victor to George
Cf. P.Oxy. XVI 1844. This letter refers to an agreement, in which both a sum of money and some slaves were concerned; the phraseology suggests that the agreement related to a division of property.
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 37853
Letter from Victor to George about an agreement concerning gold coins and slaves TM 37853Oxyrhynchus6th or 7th 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 Byzantine letter from Victor, deputy of a landowner, to George, a chartularius and estate administrator, about a man, the son of the deacon Kollouthos, who has agreed to a contract. Victor asks George to see that the document is deposited with a neutral party, that gold solidi are paid to a woman who will give a receipt, and that she receives certain slaves without dispute. It comes from Oxyrhynchus, 6th or 7th century AD.
In English machine translation
[recto]
†
† I went to the son of Kollouthos the most pious deacon, and he agreed to the contract now sent […], and he did well to withdraw. Let your true brotherliness therefore arrange for him that the document be deposited with a neutral party in accordance with what was agreed, and that the solidi be given to the woman, so that she may write (a receipt) for them. And concerning the slaves, it was decided that she should take them without dispute. So arrange for him to do this. †
[verso]
† To my master in all things most illustrious, worthy of honour, true brother George, chartularius and administrator, Victor, with God, antigeouchos. †
An antigeouchos was a deputy acting for a great landowner (geouchos), and a chartularius was an estate or administrative official. 'In the middle hand' means deposition of the document with a neutral third party; the agreement may concern a division of property.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter from Victor 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.
p.oxy.16.1847
[r] † † παρεγενόμηντῷ υἱῷ Κολλούθου τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου διακόνου καὶ ἐστοίχησεν πρὸς τὴν ὁμολογίαν τὴν νῦν πεμφθεῖσαν …ε…ς καὶ καλῶς ποιῶν ἀνεχώρησεν. παρασκευάσῃ οὖν αὐτὸν ἡ σὴ γνησία ἀδελφότης τὸ γραμμάτιον ἀποτεθῆναι ἐν μέσῃ χειρὶ πρὸς τὰ συνταχθέντα καὶ τὰ ὁλοκόττινα δοθῆναι τῇ …