Private letter
Private letter regarding farm matters
One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 43474
Letter requesting four workmen for irrigating fields TM 43474Arsinoite nomeIInd century B.C.
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, its opening with the names lost, asking the recipient to send Harpaesis and three other workmen skilled in operating irrigation machinery to water the fields, with wages paid daily. It dates to the 2nd century BC and comes from the Arsinoite nome (Fayum).
In English machine translation
[recto]
[… lines lost …]
greeting and good health.
Since we need four workmen for the irrigation of the arouras, please send us Harpaesis together with three others who know how to work the machinery. They will receive their wages daily.
Farewell.
[verso]
…[…]edei (?).
The verb organizein here probably refers to operating water-lifting devices such as a waterwheel or shaduf. The verso preserves only a damaged word, probably part of the address.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Private 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.corn.5
[r] [… ? lines lost …] χαίρειν καὶ ἐρρῶσθαι. ἐπεὶ χρείαν ἔχομεν ἐργατῶν τεσσάρων πρὸς τὸν ποτισμὸν τῶν ἀρουρῶν, καλῶς ποιήσεις Ἁρπαῆσιν ἀποστείλας ἡμῖν μετʼ ἄλλων τριῶν τῶν ἐπισταμένων ὀργανίζειν. τὸν δὲ τούτων μισθὸν κομιοῦνται καθʼ ἡμέραν. ἔρρωσο. [v] …[…]ηδει.