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One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 39291

Letter to a master protesting a patrician's removal of Pousis TM 39291unbekanntVII (?)

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 private letter, probably of the 7th century AD, from a group of people to their master protesting that a patrician has taken away Pousis the son, and insisting that only their master's authority may give them orders. They ask for a written reply and also raise a matter concerning water.

In English machine translation

[recto] ☧ We have sent our master a word, since we heard that the patrician sent and carried off Pousis the son to […]eneros (?), being accustomed to take his wages there. And having heard the report we cannot bear it, thus casting our bodies to death, wishing that the replies of your authority may come. And our master knows that if he does one small thing, Pousis will also proceed (?) to another. And if anyone else ever orders a matter except your authority, we cannot bear that someone else should ever order our affairs. So have the reply written to us. For Kyriakos wanted to come, and he did not take him. [verso] ☧ And if he comes, I too am coming. For unless the patrician wanted pretexts, what is the power […]? Concerning the water (?), where he wants the water to be given […], let the letters reach us, since we are very neglectful in this matter, master. ☧ † To our master […]

The word nēros (modern Greek 'water') is read here as water, but its meaning in context and the surrounding damaged passage are uncertain. The verb rendered 'proceed' (cheiroi) is unclear.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Privatbrief). 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.muench.3.1.131

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

[r] ☧ ἀπεστείλαμεν τῷ ἡμῶν δεσπότῃ λόγον ἕνα ἐπειδὴ ἠκούσαμεν ὅτι ἔπεμψεν ὁ πατρίκιος καὶ ἔφερεν Ποῦσιν τὸν υἱὸν παρὰ απ…[…]ενηρου ἔθος ἔχων λαβεῖν τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖ· καὶ ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον οὐκ ἀνεχόμεθα, οὕτως τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν βάλλοντες εἰς θάνατον, θέλοντες ἵνα προσίωσιν αἱ…