Petition of the beekeeper Samos about hives seized by tax-farmers TM 799Kharabet el Gerza (ancient Philadelphia)Date of reception: 8th October, 256 B.C.

Fragmentary petition addressed to Apollonios, the finance minister of Ptolemy II, from Samos, a beekeeper of Busiris in the Herakleopolite nome. He complains that the tax-farmers took control of his hives and handed them over to cavalrymen, and he asks for an inquiry. The docket records its receipt in Year 30, on 8 October 256 BC.

In English machine translation

One record gives the find place as Philadelphia, where the Zenon archive was found, while the others give Busiris as the petitioner's home. The reading of the number of hives ('5') is uncertain in context.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Fragment of a petition from a bee - keeper). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.