IURIS LIBERORUM IN ACTA PRAEFECTI INSINUATIO
     
Petition by a woman who seeks official acknowledgment of her right to act without a guardian
  
( July 15-23, AD 263 )
 

 
( V. Arangio-Ruiz, Fontes iuris Romani antejustiniani, III, Firenze, 1943, pp. 71-73, n. 27 ).
  

 
Latin translation
  

 
      (N. N. praefecto Aegypti Aurelia Thaisus quae et Lolliana. Leges sunt), perfectissime praeses, quae mulieribus trium liberorum iure ornatis, multoque magis litteras scientibus, potestatem faciunt suas res administrandi et in negotiis quae faciunt sine tutoribus agendi. Et ita ego quoque, cum subolis ornamento praedita tum litteras sciens et quam optime bene scribendi perita, confidentissime per hos libellos meos magnanimitatem tuam inuoco, ut quae hic gero negotia sine impedimento perficere mihi liceat. Rogo igitur sine praeiudicio iurium meorum ut praesentes libelli in tuis uiri perfectissimi actis seruentur, ut mihi succurratur et in perpetuum easdem gratias agam. Vale.
      Aurelia Thaisus quae et Lolliana (libellos) misi ut (praefecto) offerantur. Anno X, mense Epeiph XXI.
      Seruabuntur libelli tui in actis.
 

 
Greek text  (
Duke Data Bank of Documentary Papyri ).
  

 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | [..].α̣[...]..[.]...[...,] δ[ιαση] | μότατε ἡγεμών, οἵτινες | ἐξουσίαν διδόασιν ταῖς γυναι-|ξὶν ταῖς τῶν τριῶν τέκνων | δικαίῳ κεκοσμημένα[ι]ς ἑαυ-|τῶν κυριεύειν καὶ χωρ[ὶς] κυ-|ρίου χρηματίζειν ἐν αἷς ποι-|οῦν[τ]αι οἰκονομίαις, πο[λλ]ῷ | δὲ πλέον ταῖς γρά[μ]ματα | ἐπισταμέναις. καὶ αὐτὴ τοί-|νυν τῷ μὲν κόσμῳ τῆς εὐ-|παιδείας εὐτυχήσασα, | ἐνγράμματος δὲ κ̣α[ὶ ἐ]ς̣ τὰ | μάλιστα γράφειν εὐκ̣ό̣π̣ως | δυναμένη, ὑπὸ περισσῆς | ἀσφαλείας διὰ τούτων μου | τῶ[ν] βιβλιδίων προσφω<νῶ>   |   τῷ   σῷ   μεγέθει   πρὸς   τὸ   δύνα-|σθαι   ἀνεμποδίστως   ἃς   ἐν-|τεῦθεν   ποιοῦμαι οἰκ[ον]ομία[ς] | διαπράσσεσθαι. ἀξιῶ ἔχε[ιν] | αὐτὰ ἀπροκρίτως τ̣ο̣[ῖς δι]-|καίοις μ[ο]υ ἐν τῇ σῇ τοῦ [δια]-|σημοτάτου   τ[ά]ξει,   ἵν᾽   ὦ   β[εβο]-|ηθ[η]μέν̣η̣   κ̣[α]ὶ̣   ε̣ἰ̣[σ]αεί   σ[οι | χάριτας   ὁμολογήσω. διευτ[ύ]χ[ει.]  |  Αὐρηλία  Θαϊσ[ο]ῦς  ἡ καὶ Λολλ[ι]-|ανὴ διεπεμψάμην πρὸς ἐ-|π̣ίδοσιν. ἔτους ι Ἐπεὶφ β[.]. | ἔσται σο[ῦ] τ̣ὰ̣ βιβλία ἐν τῇ̣ [τάξει.]
 

 
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Grenfell & Hunt, The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, XII, London, 1916, n. 1467 ; Glover, Economic and social position of women in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, 1918, pp. 27 and 30 ; Schubart, Einführung in die papyruskunde, Berlin, 1918, p. 397
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►  Source : Papyrus from Oxyrhynchus ( P. Oxy. XII, 1467 = Sel. Pap. II, 305 = Jur. Pap. 14 ).