OPES – Oslo Papyri Electronic System

Background and Physical Properties

Material:

Papyrus

Connections:

–

Size:

17.5 x 8.6 cm [W x H]

Lines:

Col. I: 8; Col. II: 8

Publication side:

Recto (Verso: blank)

Palaeographic description:

Two documents, occupying one column each. Several cursive hands of the Roman period are at work in both. The body of both documents appears to include three different hands, the first of which is extremely cursive. The second hand has filled in the name of the canal on which the work was performed, as well as the name of the town on behalf of which the compulsory service was performed. The third hand has added the name of the certificate’s recipient. Under the body text, there are three different signatories, for a total of six hands. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ink analysis (under visible light and at 940 nm (near-infrared); 40 x magnification): all hands appear to use a carbon-based ink. Hands 2 and 5 are brighter. Hand 4 uses a distinctive ink, dark black and flaky, with a slight halo around the letters. The halo disappears at 940 nm wavelength, which indicates bleeding and that the ink might have been mixed with some kind of plant material. Hand 4 does not use an iron-gall ink (contra Heilporn & Martin, 2012). Analysis performed on 9/4/2025 (DG).

State of preservation:

Light brown papyrus. Rectangular fragment. The left-side column/document has sustained more damage than the right side, which is virtually complete. The left edge is lost, so that the initial 4-8 letters of ll. 1-4 are missing. There is also considerable damage to the central portion of the left-side column. The top, right and bottom edges are preserved. No left, top or right margin. Bottom margin: 1.2 cm. Intercolumnar space: 0.7 cm. No apparent kollesis. The pattern of damage suggests 8 vertical fold lines c. 2 cm apart, and 3 horizontal fold lines, irregularly spaced.

Content

Date:

91/92 CE

Origin:

Meris of Herakleides, Arsinoite nome, province of Egypt

Language:

Greek

Genre:

Documentary

Author:

Several

Title / Type of text:

Penthemeros certificate

Content:

The fragment contains two documents. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first document certifies that Petheus the younger, son of Petheus and Apollonarion, has completed his five-day corvée (exact dates not specified) sometime in the year 91/92 CE on the embankments of the canal of Psennôphris (assumed after the second document) and on behalf of the town of Karanis. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The second document certifies that Keras, son of Sambathiôn and Tapunkhis, grandson of Pnepherôs, has completed his five-day corvée (exact dates not specified) sometime in the year 91/92 CE on the embankments of the canal of Psennôphris and on behalf of the town of Karanis.

Subjects:

Certificate Penthemeros Corvee Enbankment Dike Irrigation

Named people:

Petheus son of Petheus and Apollonarion grandson of Kollouthos Keras, son of Sambathion and Tapynchis, grandson of Pnepheros Dionysios Hephaistion Sarapion

Named places:

Karanis Psennophris

English translation:

Col. i: (Hand 1) In the eleventh year of Emp[eror Caesar Domitia]n Augustus [Germanic]us. He has worked on (hand 2) the canal [of Psennophris] (hand 1) for the requisite five days of embankment work in said eleventh year, (hand 2) on behalf of Karanis: (hand 3) [Petheu]s the younger, son of Petheus and [Ap]ollonarion, [grandson of Koll(?)]outhos. I, Dionysios, have signed. I, Hephaistion, have signed in respect of Petheus. I, Sarapion, have signed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Col. ii: (Hand 1) In the eleventh year of Emperor Caesar Domitian Augustus Germanicus. He has worked on (hand 2) the canal of Psennophris (hand 1) for the requisite five days for the sake of embankment works (hand 2) in Karanis (hand 1) in said eleventh year: (hand 3) Keras, son of Sambathion and Tapunchis, grandson of Pnepheros. I, Dionysios, have signed. I, Hephaistion, have signed in respect of Keras. I, Sarapion, have signed.

Provenance:

According to M. Nahman, Tebtynis (mod. Umm el-Baragat), Egypt

Acquisition:

Purchased by Leiv Amundsen from Maurice Nahman in Cairo, Feb. 18, 1929.

Acquisition year:

1929

Editions

• Eliassen, M. de Kat, Symbolae Osloenses, vol. 40, 1965, pp. 46-47
  SB: VIII 9924c
• Sijpesteijn, P. J., Chronique d'Égypte, 53(105), 1978, pp. 135-136
  SB: XIV 11892

Further Literature

Catalogue

DDbDP / TM 14525 / HGV / BL-Online

Discussions

• Sijpesteijn, P. J. (1962). Les certificats de ΠΕΝΘΗΜΕΡΟΣ au premier siècle de notre ère. Chronique d’Égypte 37(74), 342–348. See p. 347 n. 1.
  • First mention of P.Oslo inv. 1033., based on Kat-Eliassen’s preliminary transcription.
  • Notes the unusual occurrence of three signatures, one of which would be the worker’s (contra ed.pr. pp. 46–47), and suspects this certificate to be a copy intended to be filed in an archive.
• Sijpesteijn, P. J. (1978). First-Century Penthemeros-Certificates Again. Chronique d’Égypte 53(105), 133–141.
  • Reedition of P.Oslo inv. 1033 (as SB XIV 11892; see BL VII 215); revises dating to 90/91 CE (10th year of Domitian’s reign); see pp. 135–136 (NB: the edition is missing l. 14; see correction in P.Mich XV 690, p. 13).
  • List of first-century CE penthemeros certificates signed by more than one person, see pp. 137–140.
  • On papyri containing more than one penthemeros certificate, see p. 139–140 n. 3.
  • On the signatories Διονύσιος/Dionysios, Ἡφαιστίων/Hephaistion and Σαραπίων/Sarapion (note that the latter two names are probable but not certain), see p. 140 w/ n. 3.
• Sijpesteijn, P. J. (1983). Three More First-Century Penthemeros-Certificates. Chronique d’Égypte 58(115–116), 208–211. SB XVI 12860 and P.Oslo inv. 1033 share signatories of the same name: Ἡφαιστίων/Hephaistion and possibly Διονύσιος/Dionysios; see p. 209 [= BL VIII 376].
• Sijpesteijn, P. J. (1986). Five Early Penthemeros-Certificates. Chronique d’Égypte 61(122), 287–293. List of signatories of early (i.e. before 114/115 CE) penthemeros certificates; see pp. 292–293.
• Heilporn, P., & A. Martin. (2012). 25-26 : Certificats de ΠΕΝΘΗΜΕΡΟΣ. In D. Manutoli (Ed.), Inediti offerti a Rosario Pintaudi per il suo 65° compleanno (P.Pintaudi) (pp. 125–131). Edizioni Gonnelli.
  • δεκάτου → ἑνδεκάτου ll. 1, 3, 9 & 11. Revises dating to 91/92 CE; see p. 127 n. 15.
  • On the use of mordant iron-gall ink by the signatory (Διονύσιος/Dionysios) of ll. 6 & 14. The same type of ink appears to have been used by the first signatories of P.Pintaudi 25 l. 5 & P.Pintaudi 26 l. 5; see p. 128.
• Claytor, W. Graham. (2013). Penthemeros Certificates from the Granary C123, Karanis. Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 50, 49–75.
  • A similarly named official (Ἡφαισ-) appears to sign basp.50.56 (TM 382521); see p. 58 comm. to l. 5.
  • On attestations of the Ψεννωφρις/Psennophris canal in basp.50.59 (TM 382522) and other papyri; see p. 60 comm. to l. 2 w/ n. 28.
  • A similarly named official (Σαρ-) appears to sign basp.50.59; see p. 61 comm. to l. 7.