Jewish Steersmen and Claudius Celer
(0149) Text: [hand 2] […] λ(…) πλ(…) | [hand 1] ἔτους δεκά[του Αὐτοκρ]άτορος Καίσαρος | Οὐεσπασιαν[οῦ Σεβαστο]ῦ, μηνὸς Σεβαστοῦ | [hand 2] η’ Σεβ(αστῇ), [hand 1] ἐν Ὀ[ξυρύγχω]ν πόλει τῆς Θηβαίδος. | ὁμολογοῦσ[ι …]ς Ἰακούβου καὶ Πτολ- | λᾶς Νικοστράτου κ[αὶ Σίμ]ων Τρύφωνος κυ- | βερνῆται π[λ]οίο[υ] ναυλωσίμου, ἑκάτε- | ρος ἑνὲς διʼ ἐπιπλόου Κλαυδίου Κέλερος | στρατιώτου λεγεῶνος δευτέρας ἑκατον- | ταρχίας Βραβιρίου, Φρίβι Ἡρακλήου τῷ | σὺν ἄλλοις σιτολόγοις δημοσίου θησαυ- | ροῦ κώμης Μερμέρθων τῆς ἄνω τοπαρ- | χίας, παρ(ε)ιληφέναι πα[ρ]ʼ αὐτῶν τὰς ἐπισ- | [τ]αλείσας α[ὐτ]οῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ τοῦ νομοῦ στρατη- | γοῦ Κλαυδ[ίου] Ἡρακλε[ίο]υ ἐξ ἐπιστολῆς | γραφείση[ς ὑπὸ …] Μαρίου Οὐ[ί]νδικος τοῦ ἐπιτ[…] | τον[…] | […]
Translation: […] [hand 1] in the tenth year of the Emperor Caesar Vespasian Augustus, the month Sebastos, [hand 2] on the eighth of the month, the sacred day, [hand 1] in Oxyrhynchus of the Thebais […]s son of Jacobus, and Ptollas son of Nikostratos, and Simon son of Tryphon, steersmen of a cargo boat, each of them through a soldier who was on board, Claudius Celer, soldier of legio II Augusta, of the century of Brabirius, acknowledge to Phribis son of Herakleios together with others the sitologos of the public granary of the village Mermeithai of the upper toparchy, to have received from them the artabai commanded to them by Claudius Herakleios, strategos of the district in accordance with the letter written by […] of Marius Vindex, the […]
Commentary: The three steersmen appear to be Jewish according to Tcherikover (in CPJ): one man’s father is named Jacobus, Ptollas is a common Jewish name in Roman Egypt, and while the name Simon is a conjecture, his father is named Tryphon, a well known Jewish name.
Provenience: Oxyrhynchus, Egypt (el-Bahnasa, Egypt) 6 Sept 77 CE
Bibliography: P.Oxy. 276; CPJ 2.422*