EMPTIO FUNDI
   
Sale of sacred land
     
( December 27, AD 35 )
 

 
P. Kron. 48 = P. Mich. V, 260
( Duke Data Bank of Documentary Papyri ).
  

 
ἔτους δευτέρ[ου] καὶ εἰκο[σ]τοῦ Τιβερίου Καίσαρος Σεβαστοῦ | μηνὸς Περιτίου λ Χοιὰκ λ ἐν Τεβτύνι τῆς Πολέμωνος μερί-|δ̣ος τοῦ Ἀρσ̣ι̣νοείτου νομοῦ. ὁμολ̣[ο]γεῖ Χεῶς Ἁρμιύσιος, | ὡς ἐτῶν εἴ[κ]οσι πέντε οὐλὴ ἀντίχει(ρι) ἀρ̣ι̣στερῶι, Μιεῦτι Φομσά-|ειος ὡς (ἐτῶν) μ οὐλὴ ἀ[ν]τικνημί[ωι] δεξιῶι, πεπρακέν̣αι αὐ-|τῷ τὴν ὑ̣πάρχουσαν αὐτῶι πατρ̣ι̣κὴν ἱερὰν γῆν ἀρού-|ρας τρεῖς ἢ ὅσαι ἐὰν ὦσιν ἐπὶ τὸ π̣λῆν, ὧν γείτονος ν̣ό̣του | Ὀρσενού̣φιος τ̣ο̣ῦ Ὡρουανχ̣ιοῦτο̣[ς] κλῆρ̣ο̣ς, βορρᾶ Μάρκου [Ἰο]υλίου | Ὕλλου κλῆρ̣ος, λιβὸς κοίτη λεγο[μέ]νη, ἀπηλιώτου πρότε-|ρον Ψοσνε[ῦ]τος Ταπεσ̣ούριος κλ[ῆρ]ος· καὶ ἀπέχει̣ν̣ τὸν Χε-|ῶν παρὰ τ[ο]ῦ Μιεῦτος τὴν συνκεχωρημένην τιμὴν | πᾶσαν ἐκ πλήρους διὰ χειρὸς ἐξ οἴκου καὶ βεβαιώσιν | αὐτόν τε Χεῶν καὶ τοὺς παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ τῶι Μιεῦτι καὶ | τοῖς παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὰ   κατὰ   τὴν   π[ρᾶ]σιν   πάσῃ   βεβαιώσει | ἀπὸ   μὲν   δημοσίων   ὀφειλημάτων   πάντων   κ̣α̣ὶ̣ | ἐπ[ι]γραφῶ[ν] πασῶν καὶ ναυβίων καὶ ἀρταβίας | καὶ πλεων̣ασμάτων καὶ ἐπιβ̣ο̣λῆς κώμης καὶ | τῶν ἄλλων πάντων τῶν ἀπαιτουμένων | τῶν ἐκ τῶν ἐπάνω χρόνων μέχρι τοῦ δι-|εληλυθότος ἑνὸς καὶ εἰκοστοῦ ἔτους καὶ αὐ-|τοῦ τοῦ διεληλυθότος ἑνὸς καὶ εἰκοστοῦ ἔτους | Τιβερίου Καίσαρος Σεβαστοῦ, ἀπὸ δὲ ἰδιωτικῶν καὶ | πάσης ἐμποιήσεως ἐπὶ τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον. | εὐδοκεῖ δὲ ἡ μήτηρ Θαῆσις Ψοσνεοῦτος ὡς (ἐτῶν) μ οὐλὴ | γόνατι δ[ε]ξιῷ τῇ πράσει καὶ μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι. ὑπογραφεῖς | τῶν ὁμο(λογοῦντων) Ἡρ[α]κλῆς Ἡρώδου ὡ(ς) (ἐτῶν) ν οὐλὴ καρπ(ῷ) δεξι(ῷ), τοῦ ἄλλου | Εἰσχυρίων Πάτρωνος ὡ(ς) (ἐτῶν) κε οὐλὴ μετώπ(ῳ) μέσῳ ὑπὸ τρίχα. | (hand 2) Χεῶς Ἁρμιύσις ὁμολογῶ πεπρακέναι Μι-|εῦτι Πομσάεις τὴν ὑπάρχουσάν μοι μητρικὴ-|ν ἱερὰν γῆν ἀρούρας τρεῖς ἢ ὅσαι ἐὰν ὦσιν | καὶ τὰ συνκύροντα πάντα ἐν Τεβτύνι, | ὧν γείτονος νότου Ὀρσενούφις Ἀνχιοῦτος <κλῆρος>, | βορρᾶ Ὕλλωι, λιβὸς κοίτης, ἀπηλιώτου πρώ-|τερον Ψοσνεῦτος Ταπεσούρις κλῆρος. καὶ | ἀπέχω {καὶ ἀπέχωι} τὴν τιμὴν ἐκ πλή-|ρους καὶ βεβαιώσω ἀπὸ δημοσίων πάντων̣ καὶ | ἀρταβίας καὶ ναυβίου   καὶ   παντὸς   εἴδους   τῶν | ἐπὶ   τῶν   ἐπάνω   χρόνου   μέχρι τοῦ διελη-|λυθότο[ς] ἑνὸς καὶ εἰκοσ[το]ῦ̣ ἔτους καὶ αὐτοῦ | τοῦ ἑνὸ[ς] καὶ εἰκοστοῦ ἔτ[ους] Τιβερίου Καίσαρος | Σεβαστοῦ. εὐδοκεῖ ἡ μήτ̣[ηρ] μου Θαῆσις Ψοσ-|νεῦτο̣ς̣ καθ̣[ὼ]ς̣ πρόκ̣ιται. ἔγ[ρα]ψεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶ̣ν̣ | Ὀρσεῦς δι[ὰ] τὸ μὴ εἰδένα[ι αὐ]τοὺς γράμματα. | (hand 3) Μ̣ι̣εῦς Φ[ο]μ̣σάις· γέ̣γ̣ο̣ν̣ε εἴς μ̣[ε ἡ π]ρᾶσις καθὼς πρόκι-|τ̣α̣ι̣. ἔγραψ[εν] ὑ̣πὲρ α̣[ὐτ]ο̣ῦ̣ Ἰ̣σχυρ[ίων] Πάτ̣ρ̣ω̣ν̣ος διὰ | τ̣ὸ̣ μ̣ὴ εἰδέ̣ν̣αι̣ α[ὐτὸ]ν̣ γ̣[ρά]μ̣μ̣[ατα].

 
English translation ( Advanced Papyrological Information System ).
  

 
The twenty-second year of Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Peritios 30, Choiak 30, in Tebtynis in the division of Polemon of the Arsinoite nome. Cheos, son of Harmiysis, about twenty-five years old, with a scar on his left thumb, acknowledges to Mieus, son of Phomsais, about forty years old, with a scar on his right shin, that he has sold to him the sacred land that belongs to him by inheritance from his father, three arourai, or as many more as there may be. The neighbors are on the south the allotment of Orsenouphis, son of Horouanchious, on the north the allotment of Marcus Iulius Hyllos, on the west the so-called quarters, on the east the allotment formerly belonging to Psosneus, son of Tapesouris. Cheos acknowledges that he has received from Mieus the whole price agreed upon in full, from hand to hand, out of the house, and that he and his representatives will guarantee to Mieus ad his representatives the provisions of the sale with every guarantee, from all public debts and all imposts and the naubion tax and the artab tax, and surtaxes and the village impost and all other charges levied for former times up to the past twenty-first year and for the past twenty-first year of Tiberius Caesar Augustus, and from private encumbrances aand every claim forever. His mother, Thaesis, daughter of Psosneus, about forty years old, with a scar on her right knee, consents to the sale and agrees not to proceed against it. The signatory of the acknowledging parties is Herakles, son of Herodes, about fifty years old, with a scar on his right wrist ; of the other, Ischyrion, son of Patron, about twenty-five years old, with a scar in the middle of his forehead beneath the hair ; (2nd hand) I, Cheos, son of Harmiysis, acknowledge that I have sold to Mieus, son of Pomsais, the sacred land belonging to me by inheritance from my mother (sic), three arourai or as many as there may be, and all the appurtenances in Tebtynis ; the neighbors being on the south (the allotment of) Orsenouphis, son of Anchious, on the north (the allotment of) Hyllos, on the west the quarters, on the east the allotment formerly belonging to Psosneus, son of Tapesouris. And I have received {and I have received} the price in full and guarantee the sale from all public debts and from the artab tax and naubion tax, and from every impost for former times up to the past twenty-first year and for the past twenty-first year of Tiberius Caesar Augustus. My mother, Thaesis, daughter of Psosneus, consents as aforesaid. Orseus wrote for them because they are illiterate ; (3rd hand) Mieus, son of Phomsais. The sale was made to me as aforesaid. Ischyrion, son of Patron, wrote for him because he is illiterate.
 

 
►  Bibliography
 
 
Husselman, Boak & Edgerton, Michigan Papyri, V, Ann Arbor, 1944, n. 260 ; Taubenschlag, The law of Greco-Roman Egypt in the light of the papyri, 332 B.C.-640 A.D., Warszawa, 1955, p. 296 ; July, Die Klauseln hinter den Massangaben der Papyrusurkunden, Köln, 1966, pp. 20 and 24 ;
Foraboschi, L'Archivio di Kronion, Milano, 1971, n. 48 ; Wolff, Das Recht der griechischen Papyri Ägyptens in der Zeit der Ptolemaeer und des Prinzipats, II, München, 1978, p. 24 ; Migliardi Zingale, Vita privata e vita pubblica nei papiri d'Egitto : Silloge di documenti greci e latini dal I al IV secolo d.C., Torino, 1992, 27 ; Söllner, ZPE, 94, 1992, p. 116 ; Krause, Witwen und Waisen im Römischen Reich, II, Stuttgart, 1994, pp. 26 and 119 ; Rowlandson & Bagnall, Women and society in Greek and Roman Egypt : A sourcebook, Cambridge, 1998, p. 125 ; Pestman & Rupprecht, Berichtigungsliste der griechischen Papyrusurkunden aus Aegypten, X, Leiden, 1998, p. 90 ; XI, p. 106 ; Nielsen, ZPE, 129, 2000, p. 196 .
 
 
►  Source : Papyrus from Tebtynis.