Magonius Valens
(0043) Text: ἐπὶ ὑπάτων Μανείου Ἀκειλίου Γλαβρίωνος καὶ Τορκουάτου Θηβανιανοῦ πρ[ὸ] μιᾶς νωνῶν Μαίων ἐν Ἐνγαδοῖς κώμῃ κυρίου Καίσαρος, | Ἰούδας Ἐλαζάρου Χθουσίωνος Ἐνγαδηνὸς Μαγωνίῳ Οὐά[λ]εντι (ἑκατοντάρ)χ(ῳ) σπείρ̣ης πρώτης μειλιαρίας Θρᾳκῶν χαίρειν· ὁμολογῶ ἔχειν καὶ | ὀφείλειν σοι ἐν δάνει ἀργυρίου Τυρίου δηνάρια τεσσαράκοντα ἑξήκοντα, οἵ εἰσιν στατῆρ̣ες δεκ[α]πέντε, ἐπὶ ὑποθήκῃ τῇ ὑπαρχούσῃ ἐλα(ίᾳ …) αὐλῇ | Ἐλαζάρῳ Χθουσιωνος πατρί μου ἧς ἔχω ἐπιτροπὴν ὑποτιθέναι κα[ὶ ἐγ]μισθο[ῦν πα]ρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἐλαζά[ρο]υ, ἧς αὐλῆς γείτονες ἀπὸ ἀνα- | τολῶν σκηναὶ καὶ Ἰησοῦς Μανδρ̣ῶνος, δύσεος σκηναὶ καὶ ἐργαστή[ρ]ι̣ο[ν]τοῦ αὐτ[οῦ Ἐλαζάρου] πατρό[ς μο]υ, νό[του] ἀγορὰ καὶ Σίμων | Μαθθαίου, βορ[ρᾶ] ὁδὸς καὶ πραισίδιον, ὃ ἀργύριον ἀποδώσω σοι κα[λ]άνδαις Ἰανα[ουαρίαι]ς τοῦ τό[κου τ]οῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτους, τὸν δὲ τό- | κον χορηγήσω σοι τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀργυρίου κατὰ μῆνα ὡς τῶν ρ’ δηνα[ρ]ων δηναρο[ν ἕ]ν, καὶ ἐάν σοι [μ]ὴ ἀποδώσω τῇ ὡρισμένῃ | προ[θ]εσμίᾳ καθὼς προγέγραπται τ[ὸ δίκα]ιον ἔσ[ται] σοι κτᾶσθ[αι χ]ρᾶσθαι π[ωλ]εῖν διο[ικεῖν τὴ]ν αὐτὴν ὑποθήκην χωρ[ὶς] | […] κ[αὶ ἡ] πρᾶξ[ις ἔσται σο]ι κα[ὶ τ]ῷ [π]αρά σου καὶ [ἄλλῳ παντί τῷ δι]ά σου ἢ ὑπέρ σου κ[υρίως] | τοῦτο τ[ὸ] γράμμα προφέροντι, ἔκ τε ἐμοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων [μου πάντῃ] πάν[των] ὧν κέκτημαι καὶ ὧν ἐὰν | ἐπικτήσωμαι, πράσσοντι κυρίως, τρόπῳ ᾧ ἂν αἱρῆται ὁ πράσσω[…] | ἐπὶ ὑ[πάτ]ων Μανείου Ἀκειλίου Γλαβρίωνος καὶ Τορκουά[του Θ]ηβανιανο[ῦ πρὸ] μιᾶς νωνῶν Μαίω[ν] | ἐν Ἐνγαδοῖς κώμῃ κυρίου Καίσαρος, Ἰούδας Ἐλ[αζ]άρου Χθου[σίω]νος Ἐ[ν]γαδηνὸς Μαγωνίῳ | Οὐάλεντι (ἑκατοντάρ)χ(ῳ) σπείρης πρώτης μειλιαρίας Θρᾳκῶν χ[αί]ρειν· ὁμολογῶ ἔχειν καὶ ὀφείλειν | σοι ἐν δάνει ἀργυρίου Τυρίου δηνάρια ἑξήκοντα, οἵ εἰσιν [σ]τατῆρες δεκαπέντε, ἐπὶ ὑπο- | θήκῃ τῇ ὑπαρχούσῃ αὐλῇ ἐν Ἐνγαδοῖς Ἐλαζάρῳ Χθουσιωνος πατρί μου ἧς ἔχω ἐπιτρ̣ο- | πὴν ὑποτιθέ[ν]αι καὶ ἐγμισθοιν παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἐλα[ζάρο]υ, ἧς αὐλῆς γείτ[ο]νες ἀπὸ ἀνα- | τ[ο]λῶν σκηναὶ καὶ Ἰησοῦς Μανδ[ρ]ῶνος, δύσεος σκην[αὶ καὶ] ἐρ̣γαστήριον τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἐλαζάρ(ο)υ | πατρός μου, νότου ἀγορὰ καὶ Σ[ί]μων Μαθθαίου, βορ̣[ρᾶ ὁ]δὸς [καὶ πρ]α[ισ]ίδ[ι]ον, ὃ ἀργύριον | ἀποδώσω σοι καλάνδαις Ἰαναουαρίαις τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει [τῆς] αὐτῆς ὑπατείας, τὸν δὲ τόκον | χορηγήσω σοι τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀργυρίου κατὰ μῆνα ὡς τῶ[ν] ἑκατὸν δη[να]ρων δ[η]ναρον | ἕν κατὰ μῆνα. ἐὰν δέ σοι μ[ὴ ἀποδώσω τ]ῇ [ὡρισμένῃ προθεσμίᾳ κα]θὼς προ[γ]έγρα- | [πται τὸ δ]ί̣[καιο]ν ἔσ[ται σοι κτᾶσθαι χρᾶσθαι πωλεῖν διοικεῖν τὴν αὐτὴν ὑποθ]ήκη[ν] | [… χ]ωρ[ὶς …] | […]ς, [καὶ ἡ πρᾶξις ἔσται σοι καὶ τῷ παρά σου κ]αὶ ἄλλῳ παν[τὶ] τῷ διά | [σο]υ ἢ ὑ[πέρ σο]υ κυρίως τ[οῦτο τὸ γράμμα προφέροντι, ἔκ τε ἐ]μοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν Ἐλαζάρου | πατρός μου ὑπαρχ[ό]ντων [πάντῃ] πά[ν]τω[ν], ὧ[ν κεκτήμεθα] κα[ὶ ὧν ἐ]ὰν ἐπικτησώ- | μεθα, [π]ρά[σ]σοντι κυρ[ί]ως, τρόπῳ ὧν ἂν [αἱ]ρῆ[ται ὁ πράσσων, κυρ]ίας τῆς μισ- | θώσεως ἧς σο[ι] […]υ ἐμίσθωσα. | ἑρμηνεία· Ἰούδας Ἐλ[αζάρου] Χθο[υσίων]ος τὰ α[…]μην[…] | […] ὑπέθηκα ἀκολούθω[ς τοῖς προγεγρ]αμμέν[οις. ἐγράφη διὰ] Ἰουστείνου. || [hand 2] Γαῖος Ἰούλιος Προκλῆς | [hand 3] Καλλαῖος Ἰωάνου μάρτ(υς) | [hand 4] Ὠνήσιμος Ἰαν[…]ου μάρτυς | [hand 5] Ἰωάνης […]υ μάρτ(υς) | [hand 6] Ἰώσηπος Σαει[…]ου [μά]ρτυς | [hand 7] Σίμων Σ[ί]μωνο[ς μάρτυς] | [hand 8] Θεώδορος υἱὸς Μ[…]ίου μάρ(τυς)
Translation: In the consulship of Manius Acilius Glabrio and Torquatus Tebanianus one day before the nones of May, in Ein Gedi village of lord Caesar, Judah son of Elazar Khthousion, Ein Gedian, to Magonius Valens, centurion of cohors I milliaria Thracum, greeting. I acknowledge that I have received and owe to you in loan forty sixty denarii of Tyrian silver, which are fifteen staters, upon hypothec of the olive (…?) courtyard in Ein Gedi belonging to my father Eleazar Khthousion, whereof I have from the said Elazar trusteeship to hypothecate and to lease out, the abutters of the said courtyard being, on the east the camp and Jesus son of Mandron, west of the camp and the factory of the said Eleazar my father, south a market and Simon son of Matthew, north a street and the camp headquarters; which money I will repay to you on the calends of January in the coming the same year during the said consulship, and the interest of the said money I will deliver to you monthly at the rate of one denarius per hundred denarii per month. If I do not repay you on the specified terminal date as aforewritten, you will have the right to acquire, use, sell and administer the said hypothec without any opposition, and the right of execution both upon me and upon all the possessions everywhere of my father Eleazar, both those which you have acquired and those which we may additionally acquire, will be available to both you and to your representative and to every other person legally presenting this document through you or for you, proceeding validly in whatever manner the one instituting the proceedings chooses, the lease which I hereby leased to you remaining valid. Translation: I, Judah, son of Eleazar Khthousion […] have hypothecated according to the aforewritten terms […]. It was written by Justinus. || [hand 2] Gaius Julius Procles. [hand 3] Kallaios son of John, witness. [hand 4] Onesimus, son of Ian[…], witness. [hand 5] John son of […]os, witness. [hand 6] Joseph son of Sai[…]os, witness. [hand 7] Simon son of Simon, witness [hand 8] Theodore son of […]os, witness.
Commentary: Magonius is a rare Etruscan nomen (see Gracey). This is one among a handful of loan documents between soldiers of the post-War garrison and civilians of the Judaean desert. This papyrus has been the topic of extensive scholarly discussion. It has been suggested that the struck-out text corresponded to an earlier draft of the agreement, one more favourable to the lendee Judah. That is, the Judah may have been coerced into signing an agreement that obliged him to worse conditions (e.g., agreeing that he received a larger loan than he did, needing to repay sooner). The witnesses seem to be a mix of soldiers and local Jewish denizens.
Provenience: Ein Gedi, Judaea 6 May 124
Bibliography: P.Yadin 11*; M. H. Gracey, “The Roman Army in Syria, Judaea and Arabia” (D.Phil. thesis, Oxford University, 1981), 265-266; Hannah M. Cotton, “Courtyard(s) in Ein-gedi: P.Yadin 11, 19 and 20 of the Babatha Archive,” Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 112 (1996): 197-201; Jacobine G. Oudshoorn, Roman and Local Law in the Babatha and Salome Komaise Archives: General Analysis and Three Case Studies on Law of Succession, Guardianship and Marriage, STDJ 69 (Leiden: Brill, 2007), 156-168; Gwyn Davies and Jodi Magness, “Was a Roman Cohort Stationed at Ein Gedi?,” Scripta Classica Israelica 32 (2013): 195-199; Michael P. Speidel, “A Tile Stamp of Cohors I Thracum Milliaria from Hebron/Palestine,” Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 35 (1979): 171; J. N. Adams, Bilingualism and the Latin Language (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), 265-269.