The Weekend Papyrus 7-02-2021

[Barry Hofstetter]

P.Oxy 4.731. This is formal legal request, claim for ownership based on the marriage contract of the writer's parents. Does the formal context make for a cleaner and better document than those more private letters we've seen in the last several papyri editions? Below I have appended G&F's notes. What do the different handwritings suggest? At any rate, enjoy!


1st hand 1 παρετέθ(η).
2 Δημητρίωι καὶ Ἀπολλω[ν]ίωι καὶ
3 Διογένει βιβλιοφύ(λαξι)
2nd hand 4 παρὰ Λεωνίδου Διοδώρου τοῦ
5 Διοδώρου μητρὸς Σαραεῦτος Λεω-
6 νίδου ἀπὸ Ὀξυρύγχων πόλεως.
7 καθʼ ἣν οἱ γονεῖς μον Διόδωρος Δι[ο-
8 δώρου τοῦ Ἀγαθείνου καὶ Σαραεῦς
9 Λεωνίδου τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου μη-
10 τρὸς Ἰσιδώρας Κάλα ἀπ[ὸ] τῆς αὐτῆς
11 πόλεως πεποίηνται πρὸς ἀλ-
12 λήλους τοῦ γάμου συγγραφὴν διὰ
13 τοῦ ἐν Ὀξυρύγχων πόλει ἀγορανο-
14 μίου τῷ δωδεκάτῳ ἔτει θεοῦ
15 Κλαυδίου μηνὶ Σεβαστῷ κατέσ-
16 χον τῇ ἐξ ἀλλήλων γενεᾷ τὰ
17 ἑαυτῶν πάντα πρὸς τὸ μετὰ τὴν
18 τελευτὴν αὐτῶν βεβαίως καὶ
19 ἀναφαιρέτως εἶναι τῶν τέκνων,
20 ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ πατὴρ ἐτελεύτησεν ἐπʼ ἐ-
21 μοὶ καὶ ἀδελφοῖς μου Διοδώρῳ
22 καὶ Θαίδι καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς
23 κατήντησε, ἡ δὲ μήτηρ ἀφʼ ὧν
24 ἔχει περὶ μὲν Νέσλα ἀρουρῶν
25 ἐννέα ἡμίσους περὶ δὲ {περὶ δὲ}
26 Πεεννὼ ἐκ τῆς Θρασυμάχου παρ-
27 ειμένης ἀρουρῶν δύο ἡμίσους
28 τῶν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀρουρῶν δεκά-
29 δυο ἐμέρισε τοῖς προγεγραμμέ-
30 νοις μου ἀδελφο[ῖ]ς ἀπὸ τῶν πε-
31 ρὶ Νέσλα ἑκατέρῳ ἀρούρας τέσσα-
32 ρας διὰ τῆς περὶ γάμου αὐτοῦ συγγρα-
33 [φῆς] αἵ εἰσι τὸ τρίτον τῶν προκειμέ-
34 νων ἀρουρῶν δεκάδυο, ἀπογρά-
35 φομαι καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς παράθεσιν
36 κατοχὴν τῶν λοιπῶν τῆς μη-
37 τρὸς ἀρουρῶν τεσσάρων. ἡ δὲ προ-
38 κειμένη τῶν γονέων μου συγγρα-
39 φή ἐστιν ἔνθεσμος καὶ ἀπερί-
40 λυτος εἰς τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν ἡμέραν.
41 (ἔτους) α Αὐτοκρά[τ]ορος Νερ[ού]α [Καίσαρος
42 Σεβαστοῦ (1st hand) Φαμενὼθ ιθ.
3rd hand 43 Δημήτριος σεση(μείωμαι). ἔτους πρώτου
44 Αὐτοκράτορος Νερούα Καίσαρος
45 Σεβαστοῦ Φαμενὼθ ιθ.

1. παρατιθέναι and παράθεσις (cf. l. 35 below) are specially used of the declaration and registration through the βιβλιοφύλακες of claims to property. The verb has this technical sense e. g. in 237. iv. 38 παρατίθεσθαι διὰ τοῦ βιβλιοφυλακίου and viii. 34 παρατιθέτωσαν δὲ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες ταῖς ὑποστάσεσι τῶν ἀνδρῶν. Cf. also B. G. U. 73. 10 sqq. ἐπιστείλας τοῖς … [β]ιβλιοφύλαξιν … π[οιήσασθ]αι τὰ τῆς παραθέσεως and 243. 9 ἐπιδίδωμι εἰς τὸ τὴν παράθεσιν γενέσθαι, and 14 προπαρακεί(μενον) διὰ τοῦ βιβλ(ιοφυλακίου).
1. The editor reads καιλ(ύειν), but this makes no sense, and the correction proposed, which is palaeographically very close, seems in the light of the passages quoted above practically secure. The context in the Berlin papyrus further requires a negative like μηδέν in place of καὶ τῷ before ἔσεσθαι ἐμπόδιον.
12. The marriage contract referred to contained also testamentary dispositions; cf. C. P. R. 28. 8 sqq.
20. ἐπʼ ἐμοὶ καὶ ἀδελφοῖς: sc. κληρονόμοις; cf. 481. 17–8, &c.
26. τῆς Θρασυμάχου παρειμένης: παριέναι as a technical term applied to land seems to be new, and the present passage gives no clue to the meaning; perhaps ‘conceded to’ or ‘abandoned.’