A Coptic declaration from 8th-century Aphrodito in which two local men, Shenoute and Stephanos, swear to an official that they apportioned a levy (described as a gift, xenion) fairly among the villagers according to their means, accepting penalties if they favoured or burdened anyone. The sheet carries a draft or second copy of the declaration and a list of contributors with amounts in fractions of a solidus.
In English machine translation
[recto]
[…]
[…] the son of Tauris (?) with us […]
[…] the distribution (epibotes) out […]
[…] acknowledge that […]
[…] capacity on account of an enmity
[…] relieve anyone on account of a friendship
[nor have we] left a single man out of account, nor […]
[…] a small child under ten years […]
[…] assign it to you. But if you find […]
[…] did this, then we shall be liable to […]
every penalty that your lordship
[will impose] on us. I, Georgios, wrote
[on behalf of] them. †
[verso, column 1]
[…] 12 keratia of a solidus (?)
[…] 6 of a solidus
[…] 6 of a solidus
[through Pa]koui son of Hermaos, 6 of a solidus
[through] Apa Kollouthos his son, 6 of a solidus
[through] Petros son of Apa Kyros, 6 of a solidus
through Andreas son of Solomon, priest, 6 of a solidus
through Papnouthios son of Philemon, 6 of a solidus
through Stephanos, camel-driver, 12 of a solidus
[verso, column 2]
through […]
through P[…]
[through] […]
through […]
through Apa [Kyros] […]
through Phoibammon […]
through Pani[…]
through Theodosios son of Kl[…]
through Viktor son of Sabinos, [solidus] […]
[verso, centre]
† We, Shenoute son of Psankoui, and Stephanos son of Tauris (?), agree to the distribution as a gift (xenion) according to each one's capacity, and we acknowledge that we have not loaded anything on anyone beyond his capacity, nor have we relieved anyone on account of friendship, and that we have not left out a single man, not even a small child, without assigning it to you. But if you find that we have done this, we shall be liable to every penalty that your lordship will impose on us. † I, Ouershenoube son of Pamias, whom they asked, wrote for them, since they do not know letters. †
The Coptic term epibotes refers to the distribution or assessment of a fiscal burden among taxpayers. Amounts are probably in keratia, fractions of a gold solidus.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below. It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.