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| Language: | Greek | |
| Medium: | papyrus | |
| Length: | two columns 53 lines |
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| Size: | ? cm high ? cm wide |
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| Genre: | royal petition | |
| Date: | 163–162 B.C.E. | |
| Place of discovery: | Memphis, Egypt | |
| Date of discovery: | ? | |
| Present location: | British Museum London, England |
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| Identification no.: | P.Lond. 26 (London Papyri) |
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(White 1986:68-70) ("SYMBOL" font required to view in Greek) |
(Adapted from White 1986:68-70) |
QauhV kai TaouV didumai ai leitourgousai en tw proV Memfei megalw Sarapieiw. kai proteron men umin epidhmhsasin en Memfei kai anabasin eiV to ieron qusiasai (5)enetucomen kai epedwkamen enteuxin proferomenai mh komizesqai thn kaqhkousan hmin didosqai suntaxin twn deontwn ek te tou Sarapieiou kai Asklhpieiou . Mecri de tou nun ou kekomismenai ek plhrouV hnagkasmeq upo thV anagkhV epeigomenai wV an upo thV limou dialuomenai palin entucein umin kai di oliwn (10) thn twn adikountwn hmaV filautian ecqeinai. umwn gar ektiqentwn eti apo twn enprosqen cronwn suntaxin tw te Sarapieiw kai tw Asklhpieiw kai ek toutwn kai twn protou genhqeiswn didumwnkomisamenwn ta eautwn kaq hmeran deonta kai hmin otan ebhmen kat arcaV eiV to ieron paracrhma men oliaV hmeraV (15) upedeixan wV an eutakthqhsomenwn hmin twn kaqhkontwn ton de loipon cronon ouk exetiqesan. dio kai proV touV epimelhtaV epempomen touV enteuxomenouV kai umin kaq aV epoeisq en Memfei parousiaV enefanizomen uper toutwn. twn de proV toiV ceirismoiV en tw Sarapieiw kai (20) Asklhpieiw tetagmenwn katatetolmhkotwn kai ta uf umwn hmin crhmatizomena ekferomenwn kai oudemian eulabeian proorwmenwn. hmwn de toiV deousi qlibomenwn kai Acomarrh men tw epistath tou ieroupleonaki diestalmeqa apodidonai hmin kai tw uiw de YintaeouV tou epistatou twn (25) ierwn anabanti prwhn eiV to ieron proshlqomen kai peri ekastwn metedwkamen. kai proskalesamenoV ton Acomarrhn sunetaxen apodounai hmin ta ofeilomena. o de pantwn anqrwpwn agnwmonestatoV uparcwn hmin men upesceto to prokeimenon epitelesein tou de tou YintaeouV uiou ek thV (30) MemfewV cwrisqentoV ouketi oudena logon epohsato. ou monon d outoV alla kai alloi twn ek tou Sarapieiou kai eteroi twn ek touAsklhpieiou onteV proV ceirismoiV par wn eqoV estin (35) hmaV ta deonta komizesqai aposterousin wn ta te onomata kai ta ofeilomena dia to einai pleiona ouk ekrinamen katacwrisai deomeqa oun umwn mian ecousai elpida thn uf umwn esomenhn (40)antilhyin aposteilai hmwn thn enteuxin epi Dionusion twn filwn kai strathgonopwV grayh Apollwniw tw epimelhth epilabonta par hmwn thn grafhn twn ofeilomenwn hmin (45) deontwn kai tina proV tinaV cronouV proswfeilhtai kai upo tinwn epanagkash autouV apodounai hmin ina pan to exhVecousai pollw mallon ta nomizomena tw Sarapei kai th Isei (50) epitelwmen uper te umwn kai twn umeterwn teknwn. umin de ginoito kratein pashV hV an airhsqe cwraV. eutuceite. A few letters have been reconstructed by the editors. |
To King Ptolemy and Queen Cleopatra the sister, gods Philometores, greeting. Thaues and Taous, twins, perform rites in the great Sarapion at Memphis. And formerly, when you stayed in Memphis and went up to the temple to sacrifice, we petitioned you and presented a petition to you, carrying before you our complaint that we had not received the required salary thatshould have been given to us by the Sarapion and the Asklepion. But since we still have not received this in full, we have necessarily been compelled— undone as we are by hunger—to peition you once again and to place before you in a few words the selfishness of those who are treating us unjustly. For you had previously set aside an allocation for the Sarapion and the Asklepion; and from this the twins who preceded us also received the daily necessities. And furthermore, they indicated to us, when we first went into the temple, for a few days rightaway, that whatever was appropriate for us would be carried out in due course; but subsequently it has not been done. Consequently, we both sent people who petitioned the director, and we reported on these things to you when you happened to be in Memphis. And when the appointed administrators of the Sarapion and Asklepion were cruel to us, and denied us the privileges you granted, and paid no attention to religious duty, being oppressed by necessities, we asked Achomarres, the temple supervisor, several times to pay us. And we approached the son of Psintaes, the temple supervisor, when he was going up to the temple the day before yesterday, and gave him information about each of these things. And when he had summoned Archomarres, he ordered him to pay all we were owed. But the latter, who is the most unfeeling of men, promised us that he would comply with the order. But when the son of Psintaes had departed from Memphis, he (Archomarres) no longer took any account of the issue. And not only this man, but also others associated with the Sarapion and others in the administration of the Asclepion, from whom it is customary for us to received our necessities, are cheating us, whose names and obligations, on account of being so numerous, we decided not to record. We beg you, therefore—hoping on the basis of the aid which comes from you—to send our petition to Dionysios—a member of the court and stratêgos—in order the he might write to Apollonios the director so that he, in turn, having received from us the written list of what pay is owed us, and for what length of time and by whom, may compel them to pay it to us in order that, when we have everything in order, we may fulfill the customary duties to Sarapis and Isis much better on behalf of you and your children. May it be granted to you to rule all the land that you desire. May you prosper. |
NOTES This refers to Ptolemy VI Philometer, the hellenistic king who ruled Egypt 180–145 B.C.E. From 180–176 Ptolemy was co-regent with his mother, Cleopatra I. Ptolemy married his sister, Cleopatra II in 175/4. His rule was embattled from enemies within and without. The Sarapion was a temple to the god Sarapis (or Serapis). The worship of Sarapis was introduced in the Hellenistic era, but its origins are disputed in ancient sources and by modern scholars. Sarapis was associated with healing, "miracles," and the Underworld. An Asclepion was a temple to the Greek god of healing, Asclepius. Since Thaues and Taous, the twins writing this petition, were preceded in their positions by twins, this was probably a traditional appointment. A director (epimelêtês) was an overseer of the public buildings. The administrators (cheirismois) were appointed financial managers. A temple supervisor (epistatê) was in charge of overseeing temple rites. The term stratêgos meant different things in different periods and locations. Originally, it referred to an army general; it could also refer to military governors. In Egypt, it referred to the governor of a nome (administrative district). |
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| 1. What are the indicators here that the temples
of Sarapis and Asclepius were "political religions"? See Hanson
and Oakman
(1998:130-59)? 2. What can you reconstruct about the social stratification of Ptolemaic Egypt from this document? |
Hanson, K. C. and Douglas E. Oakman. Palestine in the Time of Jesus: Social Structures and Social Conflicts. 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2008. Kenyon, Frederick G. “The Serapeum at Memphis.” In Greek Papyri in the British Museum, 1:1–43. London: Oxford University Press, 1893. Mullins, Terence Y. “Petition as a Literary Form.” Novum Testamentum 5 (1962) 46–54. Reich, Nathaniel Julius. “New Documents from the Serapeum of Memphis.” Mizraim 1 (1933) 9–129. Rostovtzeff, Michael. “The Foundations of Social and Economic Life in Egypt in Hellenistic Times.” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 6 (1920) 161–78. Rostovtzeff, Michael. The Social and Economic History of the Hellenistic World. 3 vols. Oxford: Clarendon, 1941. White, John L. Light From Ancient Letters. Foundations and Facets. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986. |
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