OPES – Oslo Papyri Electronic System

Background and Physical Properties

Material:

Papyrus

Connections:

–

Size:

9.4 x 20.4 cm

Lines:

18

Publication side:

Recto (Verso: blank)

Palaeographic description:

One or two hands. Hand 1: ll. 1-14. Hand 2 (very similar to hand 1): ll. 14-18. Editio princeps has three hands: ll. 1-14, ll. 14-16, and ll. 16-18. Practiced cursive of the Roman period with many ligatures and some abbreviations.

State of preservation:

The papyrus has extensive damage. A scattering of holes on its surface, especially on the upper and lower third of the sheet, and the lower left corner has been torn off irregularly. The text is complete and has not been affected substantially by the damage. Left margin: 1.3 cm. Upper margin: 1.6 cm. Lower margin: 6.4 cm.

Content

Date:

July 19, 145 CE

Origin:

Euhemeria (written), Theadelpheia (found?), Themistou meris, Arsinoite nome, Egypt

Language:

Greek

Genre:

Documentary

Author:

Didymos nomographos

Title / Type of text:

Agreement to rebuild mud brick wall around leased date palm grove / Document

Content:

A contract issued from the former farmer lessee of a palm grove, Alexas, to the present lessee, Heron, with a pledge to restore a mud wall around said grove. The contract was drawn up by the nomographos Didymos in Theadelpheia’s neighbouring village, Euhemeria. The papyrus is part of the archive “Heron son of Dioskoros,” ArchID 685.

Subjects:

Contract Building Construction Land farming Palm grove Mud wall

Named people:

Alexas son of Horion son of Aphrodisios Pamenis son of Helene daughter of Harpokration Heron son of Dioskoros Didymos notary

Named places:

Theadelpheia Euhemeria

English translation:

Alexas son of Horion son of Aphrodisios from the village of Theadelpheia, former lessee of the palm grove of one half, one quarter and one eighth (=7/8) of an aroura belonging to Pamenis son of Helene daughter of Harpokration, to Heron, son of Dioskoros, present lessee of aforementioned palm-grove, greetings. I acknowledge that I must see to the restauration of the mentioned palm-grove’s mud walls, which I shall deliver completed within 19th of Mesore (i.e. 12.08.145 CE) of the present year, on account of it being upon these conditions that I was, back then, granted a lease. (hand 2?) Alexas, about 50 years, with a scar on his left eyebrow, has registered description made by Didymos, notary (nomographos) at Euhemeria. Year 8 of Imperator Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, Epeiph 25th.

Provenance:

Cairo (bought), Batn el-Harit (found?)

Acquisition:

Acquired from Maurice Nahman through the British Museum (listed as box V. C.34 in Bell’s report).

Acquisition year:

1923

Editions

• Eitrem, S. and Amundsen, L., P.Oslo II, 1931, pp. 84-85 (no. 36)

Further Literature

Catalogues

TM 12563

Discussions

• Youtie, L. C, D. Hagedorn and H. C. Youtie. (1971). "Urkunden aus Panopolis I" (see p. 16). Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 7, pp. 1-40.
• Omar, Sayed. (1979). Das Archiv des Soterichos (see p. 80). Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen.
• Jördens, A. (ed.) (1990). Vertragliche Regelungen von Arbeiten im späten griechischsprachigen Ägypten, mit Editionen von Texten der Heidelberger Papyrus-Sammlung, des Istituto Papirologico "G. Vitelli", des Ägyptischen Museums zu Kairo und des British Museum, London (P.Heid. V, see p. 230n. 31). Heidelberg. (=BL IX, p. 174).
• Hagedorn, D. (1997). "Bemerkungen zu Urkunden." Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 115, pp. 223–224. (=BL XI, p. 140).
• Kehoe, Dennis. (2009). "Legal Institutions and the Bargaining Power of the Tenant in Roman Egypt" (see p. 251n.52). Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete, 41, pp. 232-262.
• Gonis, Nikolaos. (2018). "Five Documents from Roman Fayum" (see p. 176n.2). Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 208, pp. 173-186.
• Yiftach, Uri. (2021). "Olim tradita fuerunt? On the Obsoleteness of the sollemnia verba in Inst. 3.15pr." (see pp. 175-6n.23). The Journal of Juristic Papyrology, 51, pp. 169-187.
• Claytor, W. G. (2022). "TMArchID 685: Heron son of Dioskoros. Version 1."