Gaius Julius Apollinarius
(0171) Text: Γάιος Ἰούλιος Ἀπολλινάριος στρατιώτ(ης) λε(γεῶνος) γ’ Κυρ(ηναικῆς) | φρουμεντάριος Ῥώμη[ς] Σ[αβε]ίνῳ Σωκράτους | τῶν ἀπ[ὸ] κώμης Καρανίδο[ς το]ῦ Ἀρσινοίτου νο(μοῦ) | χαί(ρειν). ὁμολογῶ μεμισθω[κέν]αι σο[ι] τὰς ὑπαρ- | χούσας μοι περὶ τὴν αὐ[τὴν] κώμην ἀρούρας | γῆς ἐ[λαιῶν]ο σιτοφόρου δ[ύο καὶ] τὴν περὶ Βακ- | χιάδα ἀρ(ούρης) ἥμισυ τέταρ[τον] καὶ περὶ Καρανίδα | ἐλαιῶνος ἀρούρ(ας) δύο ἐν τ[ῷ Ὄ]νκῳ λεγομένῳ | καὶ περὶ Ἀλκιάδα | ἐλαιῶνο[ς ἄρ(ουραν) μία]ν καὶ περὶ Ἱερὰν | [ἀρο]ύρας δύο ὧν καὶ [τ]οὺς φόρους ἀπέσχον | ε[ἰ]ς ἔτη τρία ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος ἔτους δ’ | Ἁδριανοῦ τοῦ κυρίου· πρ[ός σ]ε ὄντων πάντων | τῶν ἀναλωμάτων καὶ ἔργων καὶ δημοσίων | καὶ ὅ τι ἐὰν περὶ αὐτῶν [ὀ]φίληται δημόσιον | ἢ ἰ[δ]ιωτικόν, κατὰ μη[δὲ]ν ἐλαττουμένων | τῶν ἐδαφῶν καθ[ό]τι [συν]εφωνήθη· | ἐφʼ ᾧ δὲ τὰς περὶ Βακχιάδα Ἱερὰν ἀρο(ύρας) δύο | ἐ[λαιῶν]ος συνφύτους παραδώσι ὁ Σαβεῖνος | Σ[ωκ]ράτο[υς]. ˪ δ’ Αὐτοκ[ρά]τορος Καίσαρος Τραιανοῦ | Ἁδριανοῦ Σεβαστ[οῦ], Θὼ[θ] τρίτῃ γ’.
Translation: Gaius Iulius Apollinarius, soldier of the Legio III Cyrenaica, frumentarius of Rome, to Sabinus, son of Sokrates, from the village of Karanis in the Arsinoite nome, greetings. I acknowledge that I have leased to you the two arourai of an olive grove of grain-bearing land near the same village, and one-half and one-fourth of an aroura near Bacchias, and two arourai of an olive grove near Karanis in the so-called Onkos, and one aroura of an olive grove near Alkias, and two arourai near Hiera, for which I have received the rents for three years from the present 4th year of Hadrian the lord; all expenses and labor and taxes, and whatever public or private charges may be owed on them devolving upon me, the estates suffering no diminution, as has been agreed upon; on the further condition that Sabinus, son of Sokrates, shall return the two arourai of olive grove near Bacchias ‘Hiera’ in full cultivation. 4th year of the Emperor Caesar Trajan Hadrian Augustus, Thoth the third, 3.
Commentary: Apollinarius probably has some Jewish heritage: his paternal great-aunt bears the name “Sambathion.” While the name Sambathion does not prove with certainty his Jewish ancestry, it remains likely. Tcherikover notes the mix of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian names in the family (CPJ). Several other letters from the family have been found but are omitted from those collected here – these are limited to those mentioning Apollinarius. Apollinarius’ father was also a soldier of legio III Cyrenaica. See the fuller discussion of the family’s archive in Elinor M. Husselman, ed., Papyri From Karanis, Third Series: Michigan Papyri IX 29 (Cleveland: The Press of Case Western Reserve University, 1971), 5-8; K. Vandorpe, W. Clarysse and H. Verreth, Graeco-Roman Archives from the Fayum, Collectanea Hellenistica 6 (Leuven: Peeters University Press, 2015), 186-198. Julius himself is mentioned in §167, §168, §169, §170.
Provenience: Karanis, Egypt (near Fayuum, Egypt) 1 Sept 119 CE
Bibliography: P.Mich. 9.562*