Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 90 (P. Oxy. 90) is a receipt for the payment of wheat, written in Greek. The manuscript was written on papyrus in the form of a sheet. It was discovered in the Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus. The document was written between 179-180. Currently it is housed in the British Library (761) in London.[1] It is known also as P. Lond. 3 p. XXXII no. 761.[2]
The text you provided is a fragment of an ancient Greek document, likely a tax receipt or a record of grain delivery to the public treasury. Here is a possible translation and interpretation of the text:
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- Translation:**
"Measured into the public treasury, of wheat, the produce of the past 19th year, during the reign of Aurelius Antoninus and Commodus, the Caesars, the lords, through the sitologoi (grain collectors) of the Libo toparchy, of the places of Seriphos, Klaros, Didymos, having bought, the amount is 8 artabas, 4 choenices, making a total of 8 artabas, 4 choenices. Diogenes, sitologos, I have signed."
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- Explanation:**
- **μεμέ(τρηκεν)**: "measured" - **ἰς̣ τὸ δη(μόσιον)**: "into the public treasury" - **(πυροῦ) γενή(ματος)**: "of wheat, the produce" - **τοῦ διελ(θόντος) ιθ (ἔτους)**: "of the past 19th year" - **Αὐρηλίων Ἀντωνίνου καὶ Κομμόδου Κ[α]ισάρων τῶν κυρίων**: "during the reign of Aurelius Antoninus and Commodus, the Caesars, the lords" - **(διὰ) σι(τολόγων)**: "through the sitologoi (grain collectors)" - **λιβὸ(ς) τοπ(αρχίας)**: "of the Libo toparchy" - **[Σ]ερύ(φεως) τόπ(ων)**: "of the places of Seriphos" - **Κλάρος Διδύμου ἀγορανομή(σας)**: "Klaros, Didymos, having bought" - **[θ]έμ(α) ἀρταβαι**: "the amount is artabas" - **ὀκτο**: "eight" - **χ(οίνικας) δ**: "choenices four" - **(γίνονται) (πυροῦ) (ἀρτάβαι) η \χ(οίνικες) δ/**: "making a total of 8 artabas, 4 choenices" - **Διογ(ένης) σι(τολόγος) σεσημ(είωμαι)**: "Diogenes, sitologos, I have signed"
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This document records the measurement and delivery of wheat to the public treasury, specifying the amount and the officials involved in the transaction.
Description
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The fragment contains a receipt, and is similar to Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 89. It was written by an unknown author. It states "that Clarus, ex-agoranomus, had deposited 8 artabae 4 choenices in the public granary". According to Grenfell and Hunt, the last two lines are "written in Greek characters, but cannot be construed as Greek. Since they do not appear to be Graecized demotic, they are possibly a cryptogram of some kind." The measurements of the fragment are 103 by 80 mm.[3]
It was discovered by Grenfell and Hunt in 1897 in Oxyrhynchus. The text was published by Grenfell and Hunt in 1898.[3] The fragment was examined by Frederic G. Kenyon (1907).[2]
Text
edit- μεμέ(τρηκεν)(*) ἰς̣(*) τὸ δη(μόσιον) (πυροῦ) γενή(ματος) τοῦ διελ(θόντος) ιθ (ἔτους)
- Αὐρηλίων Ἀντωνίνου καὶ Κομμόδου
- Κ[α]ισάρων τῶν κυρίων (διὰ) σι(τολόγων)(*) λιβὸ(ς) τοπ(αρχίας)
- [Σ]ερύ(φεως)(*) τόπ(ων) Κλάρος Διδύμου ἀγορανομή(σας)
- [θ]έμ(α) ἀρταβαι(*) ὀκτο(*) χ(οίνικας) δ, (γίνονται) (πυροῦ) (ἀρτάβαι) η \χ(οίνικες) δ./ Διογ(ένης) σι(τολόγος) σεσημ(είωμαι).
See also
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edit- ^ P. Oxy. 90 Archived 2012-05-29 at the Wayback Machine at the Oxyrhynchus Online
- ^ a b P. Oxy. 1 90 LDAB
- ^ a b Grenfell, B. P.; Hunt, A. S. (1898). Oxyrhynchus Papyri I. London: Egypt Exploration Fund. pp. 152–153.
External links
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: B. P. Grenfell; A. S. Hunt (1898). Oxyrhynchus Papyri I. London: Egypt Exploration Fund.