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 short official letter from a man whose name ends in -nios to the prison guards (desmophylakes), ordering the release of a prisoner. He states he has stood surety for Herakleides and rebukes the guards for re-arresting someone he had ordered released. Probably 3rd century BC, perhaps from the Herakleopolite nome.
The name of the person to be released is lost, and the relation of Herakleides to the prisoner is unclear. To stand surety (diengyao) here means guaranteeing the person's appearance, something like bail.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Brief an die Desmophylakes). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
[r] […]νιος τοῖς δεσμοφύλαξι χαίρειν vac. ἄφετε Σε…[…]…ιν. ἀπήγαγεν Πτολεμαῖος δι’ ἐμοῦ. διεγγεγύηκα γὰρ Ἡρακλείδην τὸν ὑιόν. ἔτι δὲ οὐκ ὀρθῶς πεπράχατε πρώην διεγγυήσαντες αὐτόν. ἀφεῖναι ἐμοῦ συντάξαντος πάλιν ἀπηγάγετε αὐτόν. ἔρρωσθε. ἔτους … Ἁθὺρ κς [v] τοῖς δεσμοφύλαξιν
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