P.Mich.inv. 6901 / Recto

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Record Details

Inventory Number

P.Mich.inv. 6901

Processing Number

3013

Section/Side

Recto

Image Side

Recto

Background and Physical Properties

Publ./Side

Recto; Verso is blank

Connections

+ P.Palau Ribes Inv. 70; see also P.Mich. XIII, 660 (inv. 6900), probably the preceding sheet of the same document. - Archive of Dioskoros of Aphrodito.

Material

Pap

Size

49 x 30 cm (P.Palau Ribes Inv. 70: 11.2 x 15.5 cm)

Items

1 (made of several fragments)

Lines

20

Mounted

Yes

Negative

Yes

Conservation Status

badly damaged, with many holes

Status

published

Library

Ann Arbor

Contents

Date

VIth century A.D.

Origin

Antinoe (Antinoou polis)(?), province of the Lower Thebais, Thebais, Egypt

Provenance

Aphrodite (Aphrodito), Antaiopolite nome, province of the Lower Thebais, Thebais, Egypt

Acquisition

purchased in 1943 through Th. Whittemore

Language

Greek

Latin

Genre

Documentary

Author

Unknown scribe

Type of Text/Title of Work

Report of Legal Proceedings

Content

Proceedings of a trial presided by a military officer (comes militum): a person of high status, Flavius Sarapammon, is accused of malversations in requisiting money; among those who worked with him, a soldier, Flavius Menas, is suspected of the murders of the priest Victor and of Herakleios. The prosecuting parties are, among others(?), Victor's brother and Herakleios's wife, Maria.

Subject Headings

Trials (Murder)--Egypt--Antinoöpolis (Extinct city)

Trials (Conspiracy)--Egypt--Antinoöpolis (Extinct city)

Rome--Army--Officers.

Soldiers--Egypt--Antinoöpolis (Extinct city)

Priests--Egypt--Antinoöpolis (Extinct city)

Gold--Egypt--Antinoöpolis (Extinct city)

Funeral rites and ceremonies--Egypt--Antinoöpolis (Extinct city)

Aphrodito (Extinct city)

Constantinople.

Persons

Flavius Sarapammon (praeses of the Lower Thebais?);

Victor, notarius and topoteretes;

(unnamed) boethos;

(unnamed) meizoteros;

(unnamed) comes militum (dux of the Thebais?);

Flavius Menas, miles = stratiotes;

Zacharias, dioiketes;

Victor, presbyteros, brother of the following (deceased);

Flavius <- - ->, brother of the presbyteros Victor;

Theodoros;

Maria, widow of Herakleios;

(unnamed) kephalaiotai of Aphrodite;

Herakleios, deceased husband of Maria;

Letoios (scholastikos?);

Flavius Psoios;

(Flavius?) Apollos (= Flavius Apollos, son of Dioskoros, for which see J.G. Keenan, Atti del XVII Congresso di Papirologia. III [Napoli, 1984] p.957-963?);

(unnamed) Emperor;

Flavius Kollouthos;

Flavius Christophoros;

(unnamed) pragmateutai;

(unnamed) ekdikos of Antaiou polis;

Victor, former ekdikos (of Antaiou polis)

Geographica

Aphrodite (Aphrodito); Antaiou (polis); Konstantinou polis (Konstantinopolis = Constantinople)

Translation

(P.Mich.inv. 6900)

[- - -].

[The soldier Flavius Menas said: "- - -] from the most magnificent Sarapammon the same gold and Victor, the notary and toporetes. For I did not receive the afore-mentioned gold but the assistant did and he gave it to his headman and also to Victor, the toporetes being together one and a half pounds of gold. I do not know what else his headman received. The same most illustrious Sarapammon received the gold from his headman".

The illustrious comes militum said: "What has the most magnificent Sarapammon to say regarding this after he has heard the voice of Menas saying all that has been saidot he persons before the court that gold has been asked by Zacharias and has been paid to him?"

The illustrious afore-mentioned Flavius Sarapammon said: "I did discover that some persons from the village of Aphrodite made a conspiracy and wanted to divide the village in two parties(?) so that they again could attend minutely to murders and for that reason the conspirators have been asked for one pound of gold for the praesidial treasury."

The illustrious comes militum said: "The administration will bring pressure to bear upon the most magnificent Sarapammon for the production of Zacharias in court. What has Menas to say about the accusations ?"

The soldier Flavius Menas said: "I did not murder anyone and I also prove it. What if Menas proves(?) it? The same presbyter feeling nauseous stayed in the church and I in Antaiou (polis) and an abscess came out of the throat of the presbyter and he died thereof. About Herakleios I was not there and I do not know (about him)."

The illustrious comes militum said: "If the prosecuting party wants to attack with their accusations they must - - - the law for prosecution".

Flavius <- - -> defending Theodoros said: "In the last days of the passed month Mesore of the past seventh indiction the devoted Menas forced my brother Victor who also is a presbyter outside and murdered him having thrown a piece of wood of a machiehis left arm and having (placed) many blows on his stomach from the fifth hour till the evening of the same day and I reserve against him the law me suiting against murderers. And if I shall not prove that he murdered my brother I shall die instead of him. And he did not ask for the blows he received or it must be by the fact that he was ten or eleven days alone".

The afore-mentioned Maria defending Theodoros said: "The chiefs (of the police) of my village Aphrodite together with others who are in its service after having arrested my husband Herakleios put him in the watch-house of my village Aphrodite and after having taken wine to the same watch-house they drunk with him and when the evening had come they beat my same husband Herakleios and killed him with their swords and thereafter they gave his remains to the fire and they did this to him on the eighth of the month Phaophi of the passed sixth indiction at the setting of the sun. Being asked why they murdered my husband they said: 'The most illustrious Sarapammon and Menas wrote us to kill him', and I reserve against them the law me suiting regarding the death of my wretched husband. When Herakleios, my wretched husband, had been killed and his remains had been given to the fire so that they may be burned they poured again water on the same remains and they threw his bones in a basket and burried them I do not know where. I ask, therefore, that they are given to me so that I can burry them. For concerning just this matter I approached already the most illustrious Sarapammon and it was agreed to arrange that they would be given to me but they were not given".

(P.Mich.inv. 6901 + P.Palau Ribes inv. 70).

[- - -] Herakleios having been taken off, and I went to approach . . . and having recognized one of my husband's murderers

[- - -] of my wretched husand and he arrested this man and I do not know for what reason released him.

[The illustrious comes militum said]: "Let the most magnificent [Sarapammon] defend himself concerning this: through the foresight of the administration he will . . . and Menas to those who have brought(?) to him the

[- - -." The illustrious afore-mentioned Sarapammon said:] the most learned Letoios asked me for four pounds of gold on account of the people of Aphrodite because at a later(?) moment they attacked him

[- - -] these, and as the people of Aphrodite have [[always]] lived a disorderly life . . . [- - -] that they have [. . .] time

[- - -] and the man of whom Herakleios's wife said that he murdered her husband I handed over to

[- - -] in his presence(?) he has been released but the people of the village (killed?) Herakleios as a voluntarily denouncer

[- - -] and because of that the people of the village were asked three pounds of gold for the government in the

[- - -] The illustrious comes militum said: "For what reason do you say that the same man promised gold to Letoios?"

[- - -] said: "[. . .] as the most learned Letoios told me all agreed with him that I did something fraudulent. To him

[- - -] I asked for." The illustrious comes militum said: "What have the parties present to say to this?" Flavius Psoios - - - Flavius Apollos from the village of Aphrodite, the afore-mentioned, defending Theodoros said: "On the pretext of the four and half (pounds of gold)

[- - -] pounds of gold and thereafter in front of the present person the same most illustrious Sarapammon asked from us through the intermediary of the devoted Menas

[- - -] and to go to Constantinople and to approach our most pious Lord." Flavius Kollouthos and Flavius Christophoros, the afore-mentioned,

[- - -] the administration which assists your Excellency brought the devoted Menas before the court and

[- - -] The illustrious comes militum said: "Menas having heard what has been taught by the persons before the court must defend himself". The soldier Menas said:

"[- - -] the most illustrious Sarapammon and he sent me with the dioiketes Zacharias and because Zacharias said to me

[- - - as also] the persons before the court [know], Zacharias took it and gave it to the most illustrious Sarapammon, as also the soldier Menas knows and when [- - -] came

[- - -] the people of the village (said?) willingly to me: "Kollouthos who is here said: 'Where are the pragmateutai so that they give me

[- - -] the corn that has been sealed for the coemptio and I shall do it for the most illustrious Sarapammon if ever I did anything

[- - -] and the defensor of Antaiou (polis) and Victor, the ex-defensor, and therefore the headman collected a tax from them."

Papyri.info Link

https://papyri.info/apis/michigan.apis.3013

Information on Publications

Publications

Series and Volume	Editor	Year	Pg/Nr	Photo	SB	Preferred Citation	Corrections
PMich XIII	Sijpesteijn PJ	1977	661		Sijpesteijn PJ, PMich XIII, 661, 1977 -- BL VII, 116 (l. 12; 14); BL VIII, 217 (l. 12; 14)	BL VII, 116 (l. 12; 14); BL VIII, 217 (l. 12; 14)
StudPap 21	Daris S	1982	84-86 (l. 1-10, with P.Palau Ribes Inv. 70)	SB XVI 12542 (and XVIII, p. 482)	Daris S, StudPap 21, 84-86 (l. 1-10, with P.Palau Ribes Inv. 70), 1982 -- SB XVI 12542 (and XVIII, p. 482) -- BL XI, 133 (cf. BL VIII, 217); BL XI, 218;	BL XI, 133 (cf. BL VIII, 217); BL XI, 218;

Information on Publications--Further Republications

Further Republications

Rep Editor - Dorandi T; Rep Ser. - Ch.L.A. XLVII; 1997; No. 1437[A], with plates;

Information on Publications--Bibliography

Bibliography

J. Gascou, CE 52 (1977) p. 362-363; R.S. Bagnall-K.A. Worp, BASP 17 (1980) p. 9; L.S.B. MacCoull, JJP 20 (1990) p. 103-107 [= Coptic Perspectives on Late Antiquity (Aldershot-Brookfield, 1993) art. XVIII]; J.G. Keenan, BASP 32 (1995) p. 57-63; T. Gagos, ZPE 93 (1992) 222; Jean Gascou, Fiscalite et societe en Egypte byzantine, Achcbyz 1008, p. 160.

Availability/System Requirements

Institution

sc

Cataloging

Cataloger

PH

Year Begin

500

Year End

599

Technical Details

Collection

Advanced Papyrological Information System (APIS UM)

Image Size

4608 x 3480

File Size

301 KB

Record

3013

Link to this Item

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/apis/x-3013/6900r3.tif content_copy

Related Links

IIIF

Manifest

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/apis:3013:6900R3.TIF content_copy