OPES – Oslo Papyri Electronic System

Background and Physical Properties

Material:

Papyrus

Connections:

–

Size:

9.2 x 25.4 cm.

Lines:

40

Publication side:

Recto, the Verso is published as P.Oslo 191

Palaeographic description:

–

State of preservation:

Written on dark brown papyrus. The left margin is 2 cm, no top margin is preserved. Cut at the right side, breaks off at bottom.

Content

Date:

5th/4th century B.C.

Origin:

Oxyrhynchos, Oxyrhynchite nome, province of Egypt

Language:

Greek

Genre:

Documentary

Author:

Leon, son of Herakleides

Title / Type of text:

Notice sent to the topogrammateus from a demosios georgos

Content:

The papyrus is addressed to the scribe of the toparchy from a demosios georgos, who had sown his state land with lentils and wheat, but the worms had destroyed the seed (given him by the administration). Consequently he was not able to pay either rent or taxes.

Subjects:

Notice Royal land Cultivation Sowing Seeds Lentils Wheat

Named people:

Leon, son of Herakleides Onnophris, topogrammateus Dionysios, exegetes Theon, son of Sarapion Vibius, centurio Berenike, daughter of Herakleides Artemidoros Teos Caesar Augustus, emperor

Named places:

Oxyrhynchos Ibion Antilochou Pella

English translation:

(3. hand): ar(ourai) ( ) 5 ( ) (of wheat) 3(1. hand): To Onnophris, secretary of the western district, from Leon son of Herakleides, one of the public farmers of the city of Oxyrhynchos. In the state land farmed by me in the area of Ibion Antilochou, situated on the side of the canal opposite Pella, although it has been sown by me in the present 26th year of the Caesar at the proper time with the greatest expenditure and toil, the seed which I got from Dionysios the administrator for the five arourae sown with lentils and the three arourae sown with wheat, has been entirely eaten by worms. The first holding of land, which is that of the five arourae sown with lentils in the western part, neighbours: to the north with uncultivated land, to the south with that of Theon son of Sarapion, to the west with that of Vibius the centurion, to the east with that of Berenike daughter of Herakleides, while the holding of the three arourae in the southern part neighbours: to the north with the land of Artemidoros, to the south with that of ? and of Teos, to the west with that of the aforementioned Theon, to the east with that of the aforementioned Berenike. Therefore I have submitted the present notice, and I request, if you deem it fit, to have the abovementioned registered, so that I may be assisted.I, Leon son of Herakleides, have submitted the present notice and I swear by Caesar Imperator, son of God, Zeus the liberator, Augustus, that the abovementioned is true and ... (breaks off)

Provenance:

Oxyrhynchos, Oxyrhynchite nome, province of Egypt

Acquisition:

Bought from natives of Behnasa, 28.3. 1928. Part of a joint purchase of Columbia, Michigan, Princeton and Oslo universities

Acquisition year:

–

Editions

• Eitrem S-Amundsen L, P.Oslo II, 1931, 26
  ▾ Corrections:

  • P.Hamb.IV (1998), p. 234 n.68 (l. 6, 33)

Further Literature

Hagedorn D, 'The emergence of municipal offices', in Oxyrhynchus: a city and its texts (2007) p. 198, no. 7