Copy of an order from Claudius Herodes, strategos of the Oxyrhynchite nome, countersigned by the royal scribe Hermaios, instructing the public bankers Theon and partners to pay boatmen of Oxyrhynchus half the freight charge for carrying imperial estate wheat to Neapolis. A list of eleven boatmen with their loads and payments follows, totalling 752 drachmas 3 obols, dated in year 2 of Vespasian.
In English machine translation
Copy. Claudius Herodes, strategos of the Oxyrhynchite nome, to Theon and partners, public bankers of the same nome, greetings. Pay, with Hermaios the royal scribe joining in the instruction, to the undersigned ferrymen (?) from the city of Oxyrhynchus, on their mutual guarantee, the half-freight of the originally fixed freight charge of 35 drachmas per 100 artabas, on condition that they deliver to Neapolis at their own risk the estate wheat to be loaded onto their boats by Claudius Theon, clean of all adulteration. The amounts of the half-freight for what they load, excluding the customary extra charges (?) […]:
to Kilikas son of P[…], of a capacity of 530 artabas, 500 artabas, 87 drachmas 3 obols
to Herakleos son of Herakleos, of a capacity of 530 artabas, 500 artabas, 87 drachmas 3 obols
to Harpalos son of Harpalos, of 318 artabas, 300 artabas, 52 drachmas 3 obols
to Amois son of […], of 318 artabas, 300 artabas, 52 drachmas 3 obols
to Sarapion son of […], of 371 artabas, 350 artabas, 61 drachmas 1 obol
to Papontos son of Syros, of 318 artabas, 300 artabas, 52 drachmas 3 obols
to Horos son of […]chos, of 212 artabas, 200 artabas, 35 drachmas
to Hera[…], of 212 artabas, 200 artabas, 35 drachmas
to Lo[…], of 318 artabas, 300 artabas, 52 drachmas 3 obols
to Hermouthis son of Damarion, of 424 artabas, 400 artabas, 70 drachmas
to Dionysios son of Dionysios, Sapron (?), of 318 artabas, 300 artabas, 52 drachmas 3 obols
Total 752 drachmas 3 obols, from which deduct the percentages customarily added to the imperial account, and receive from them the appropriate receipt. Year 2 of Imperator Caesar Vespasian Augustus, Tybi […], the day of Augustus.
[…]
"Estate wheat" (ousiakos) is grain from imperial estates; Neapolis is probably the harbour district of Alexandria. Payments are calculated at 35 drachmas per 100 artabas on half the cargo, the listed capacities (e.g. 530) including a surcharge over the net load (500).
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Instructions from the Strategus to a Banker). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.