Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists 27 (1990) 123-137
Houses in Syene in the
Patermouthis Archive
According to Sir Harold I. Bell's paper, "Syene Papyri in the British
Museum," in Klio 13 (1913), at p.170: "The collection includes a number
of sales, which are of considerable interest in several ways; - for the
formulae employed - for the light which they, with other Byzantine sales
of houses, throw on the structure of the Graeco-Egyptian dwelling-house,
and for the evidence they afford as to the topography of Syene. There
are five of these sales, all of which are sales of house property. To them
may be added Inv. 1790 (New Pal. Soc. VI, no. 128), which is a transfer
of house property in consideration of the discharge of obligations which
the vendor is unable to meet; and in the matter of evidence for the
structure of houses we may also add Inv. 1801, a loan on the security of
house property." Other texts concerning houses are in the part of the
Patermouthis archive kept in Munich. J. Farber and B. Porten in "The
Patermouthis Archive: A Third Look" have included 33 documents
among which 20 deal with dwelling-houses in Syene and 14 contain
detailed descriptions of houses. So we have an exceptional file of papyri
on this subject between A.D. 493 and the end of the 6th century.1
1. A list of the texts
All are of legal character. 11 are deeds of sale (ntptaEtq) of houses
or parts of houses:
1. P.Miinch. 15 + P.Lond. 1855 26 April 493
2.P.Miinch. 162 ca 500
3.P.Lond. 1722 13 March 530
4.P.Lond. 1734 ca 550
5.P.Lond. 17243 578-582
6. P.Miinch. 9 (+ P.Lond. 11834, protocol) 30 May 585
7. P.Minch. 11 7 October 586
1For dating I follow Farber-Porten, 1986.
2The courtyard sold is probably the same as in P.Minch. 15.
3The same house as in P.Lond. 1722.
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