Letter
Letter stating that the writer had ordered and was about to send or bring eight boukola (bosses of shields?). This document belongs to the George-Victor series, and is written in hand A (see P.Oxy. XVI 1844).
One text, 3 sources · Trismegistos-Text 37892
Letter about ordering eight boukola TM 37892Oxyrhynchus6th 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 short Byzantine letter from Oxyrhynchus in which the writer tells his distinguished correspondent that he has received his letter and has ordered the eight boukola requested, which he hopes to send or bring in person. He sends greetings to the recipient's mother, to a certain Enoch and to Enoch's children.
In English machine translation
[recto]
† I received the letter from your admirable lordship, in which you called upon me concerning the 8 boukola, and see, I have ordered them, and I hope in God that I will send them to you or bring them with me when I come.
On my behalf greet the lady your mother and the lord Enoch and his sweetest children. †
[verso]
† To my master in all things, admirable, worthy of all honour and obeisance, […] after God true brother […]
† […] †
The meaning of boukola is uncertain; it has been taken as bosses of shields, though it may refer to cattle. The letter belongs to the George-Victor group of letters written in the same hand.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Business 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.16.1940
[r] † τὴν γραφὴν παρὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας περιβλέπτου δεσποτείας ἐδεξάμην, διʼ ὧν ἐκάλεσεν ἐπὶ μοὶ διὰ τὰ ὀκτὼ βούκολα, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπέταξα αὐτά, καὶ ἐλπίζω εἰς τὸν θεὸν ὅτι πέμπω σοι αὐτὰ ἢ μετʼ ἐμοῦ φέρω ἐρχόμενος. ἐξ ἐμοῦ δὲ τὴν κύραν τὴν μητέραν ὑμῶν καὶ τὸν κύριον Ἐνὼχ καὶ τὰ γλυκύτατ…