Letter from Capito to Netios
Letter
One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 89224
Letter from Kapiton to Netios asking for jars for water TM 89224This document was discovered in a Roman dump at Berenike.A.D. 50 - 75
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 on an ostracon from Kapiton to Netios, whom he calls brother, asking him to provide a small storage jar and a Laodicean jar for water. Kapiton mentions that he has heard Netios is sailing in and hopes they can lodge together. It was found in a Roman rubbish dump at Berenike on the Red Sea and dates to about AD 50-75.
In English machine translation
Kapiton to Netios his brother, greetings.
Before all else I thought it necessary to greet you by letter. Since you were not going to go up (?) rightly (?), I ask you, brother, to take care of me […] a small jar and a Laodicean (jar) for water and […]. You will say that your brother is coming and together with you […] so that we may lodge together. For I heard that you too are sailing in. So I was glad that he is coming with you.
Several passages are garbled or illegible (e.g. 'πειεταστει', 'κατατι…η…η'), so parts of the request are uncertain. A 'Laodicean' is probably a jar of the type used for wine from Laodicea.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter from Capito to Netios). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.
o.berenike.2.198
Καπίτων Νετίῳ τῷ ἀδελφῷ χαίρειν· πρὸ μὲν παντὸς ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην διʼ ἐπιστολῆς ἀσπάσασθαί σε. ἐπειδὴ σὺ οὐκ ἔμελλες ἐν δίκῃ ὑπάγειν, ἐρωτῶ σε, ἀδελφέ, ἵνα μου προνοήσῃς αν … πιθάριον καὶ λαδικηνὸν εἰς ὕδωρ καὶ πειεταστει. ἐρεῖς ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔρχεται καὶ ἅμα σοῦ κατατι…η…η ἵ…