A contract of sale in which two Aurelii, one named Kelol, sell one aroura of private arable land near a village of the Arsinoite nome to Aurelius Paulus for 1,000 talents. It was drawn up at Ptolemais Euergetis (Arsinoe) early in AD 348.
In English machine translation
In the consulship of Flavius Philippus, the most illustrious praetorian prefect, and Flavius Salia, the most illustrious master of the cavalry, […]
At Ptolemais Euergetis of the Arsinoite nome. The Aurelii […]es and Kelol from the village of […] of the Arsinoite nome, to Aurelius Paulus son of Nei[…] from the village of […], greetings.
We acknowledge by this agreement, willingly and of our own choice, […] that we have sold and conveyed to you from now for all time the [land] belonging to us near the village of […] from the sacred census under Sabinus the censitor, in the fields of the same village […] one aroura of private sown land in a single parcel […] according to the custom from the beginning until now, whose neighbours, as we have agreed in naming them, are […] the property of Pamouthis son of Asoeis; on the east a canal […]; and that no part or claim has been left of the price fixed and agreed between us […] of the coinage of the Augusti, 1,000 talents […], which we the sellers, the Aurelii […]es and Kelol, acknowledge we have received from you the buyer Aurelius Paulus son of Nei[…]; and we will deliver it to you unencumbered and free of every debt […]. Aurelius Paulus son of Nei[…] is therefore to hold and own it […] from now […] and to have power to resell it to others without hindrance, to mortgage it […] without obstruction, and to pay the pious taxes for it […] from the most fortunate incoming new seventh indiction, the public charges […] being the responsibility of us the sellers; and we will guarantee it against […] and private claims and every demand whatsoever, and we will not proceed against it […], neither we, the Aurelii […]es and Kelol, nor our children nor heirs in any way […]; and if anyone comes forward, we will remove him at once at our own expense, as if by a court judgment […]
[…] The sale, written in two identical copies, is valid […]
(Subscription) We, the Aurelii […]es and Kelol, aforesaid, have sold […] and received the price in full as stated above, and we guarantee to you the […]
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The land is said to come 'from the sacred census' under the censitor Sabinus, i.e. registered in the Diocletianic-era land census. Much of the standard sale formula is restored, and the area of one aroura is itself a restoration.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below. It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.