One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 39100

Letter from Platon to the pagarch Papas about the diagraphon of a sailor TM 39100unbekannt

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 Platon to the comes and pagarch Papas interceding for a sailor whose companion was detained at Latopolis, and raising the question of the man's diagraphon (a poll-tax assessment) and whether Christophoros had registered him for it. The docket names the sailor as Philotheos son of Sampson.

In English machine translation

[recto] † The man delivering my present letter to your God-protected and most magnificent lordship asked [...] you on behalf of his companion, that is Theodosios the sailor, and if it is possible I beg my lord [to order] [...] for I did not want to write to my lord, since he came and put out an expense (?) as through someone [...] at Latopolis you seized his sailor; and it seemed incredible to me, and I neither wanted to give [...] that my lord does not tolerate doing anything of the kind. So when our common brother the lord [...] came, having made inquiries I learned the cause, and for this reason I did not want to write to him to release [...] he came begging that I write to my lord. So, as I said before, I beg my lord to order [...] and concerning the diagraphon of his man, what you order, write to me [...] unless the lord Christophoros enrolled him in the register of the diagraphon [...] into the diagraphon of Latopolis, unless the lord Christophoros himself [...] [verso] [...] him from the diagraphon [...] of my lord. I greet you, God-protected ones, through this letter. † (Address) To the lord Papas, most great comes and pagarch, † Platon † (Docket) Concerning Philotheos son of Sampson, sailor

The diagraphon was a tax assessment, apparently a poll tax, of the early Arab period; the letter belongs to the archive of the pagarch Papas of Apollonopolis Ano (Edfu), 7th century AD. The text names the companion Theodosios, while the docket names Philotheos son of Sampson.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as De Platon: le diagraphon d’un batelier). 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.apoll.39

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text

[r] † ὁ ἀποδιδοὺς τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ θεοφυλάκτῳ καὶ μεγαλοπρεπεστάτῃ δεσποτείᾳ τὴν παροῦσάν μου ἐπιστολὴν ᾔτησε[…] ὑμᾶς χάριν τοῦ ἑταίρου αὐτοῦ τοῦτʼ ἔστιν Θεοδόσιον τοῦ ναύτου, καὶ ἐὰν ᾖ δυνατὸν παρακαλῶ τὸν δεσπότηνμου κελεῦσαι[…] γὰρ οὐκ ἠθέλησα γράψαι τῷ δεσπότῃ μου, ἐπειδὴ ἦλθεν καὶ…