Archive of Apollonios the Strategos on the War of Quietus
(0378) Text: Ἀ[μ]μώνιο[ς καὶ Ἑρ]μοκλῆς [Ἀ]πολλωνίῳ | τῷ τειμ[ι]ωτάτῳ χαίρειν. | [ἴ]σ[θ]ι, οὐκ εὐκαίρως σχόντες ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόν- | τ[ο]ς διὰ τὴν τοῦ δημοσίου πυροῦ κα[τ]αγωγὴν | [ἀ]ποδραμεῖν πρὸς σὲ καὶ μ[έ]μψασθαι περὶ | […]ων λυπούμεθα ὡς ἀδιάφ[ορο]ι ἄνδρες | [ὑπὸ σ]οῦ διʼ ἧς ἔγραψας ἐπιστολῆς [τ]ῶι τοῦ | Λυκοπολείτου στρατηγῶι Σαραπίωνι περὶ | τοῦ μὴ κοινωνεῖν ἡμᾶς σ[ο]ι ἡμίσους μέ- | ρους τοῦ ἄρακ[ο]ς, ἀλλʼ ἡμᾶς μ̣ε[…]ρ̣ο̣υ | μέρους καὶ σ’ ἐκ τρ[ίτ]ου καὶ τ[…]ι ἐπελ- | θόντος τ̣ο[…]πε[…]ιηγασθαι […]ε[…]ε[…]η̣ν | καταθε[…]λ […]π[…] τούτου. || εἰ γὰρ μὴ […]ανευησωσ[… τα]ῖς | παροχ[αῖ]ς Ἀ[ρτ]ωρίου Πρισκίλλου τοῦ ἐπιστρα- | τηγήσα[ντο]ς συνεζητοῦμ[ε]ν περὶ τῶν | μερῶν […]μενοι σὲ μὲν δύο μέρη λαβεῖν | καὶ ἡμᾶς […]δι[…]δασμῶι τοῦ | ἐν Ἑρμοπολείτῃ ἄρακος ἐνπεπλέχθαι | ἡμᾶς […]ω ηθῃ ἡμ[…]ν ἐξ ἡμίσους | καὶ τότε ε[…]φ̣ειν σοι ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἑρμοπολείτου | παραδοθῆν[αι] τὴν ἡμίσειαν , ἵνα καὶ τοῖς γένε- | σιν καὶ τοῖς […]ο̣ις ἀποκουφισθῇς […]ι | ἐπε[σπεύ]σαμεν διὰ τῆς γρ[α]φῆς ἀλλήλοις | […]θ[…]ι[[…] μέντοι διὰ | [το]ὺς τ[ῶ]ν [Ἰο]υ[δα]ίων θορύβους, νῦν μὲν | […]σα ἐστὶν ἐπὶ τὴν συνείδησίν σου δρᾶν, ᾗ | […]σου φρονήσεις ηοεσσαθη[…] | […]ν παρενθυμηθῇς οὐ πολλοῦ […] | […]ιος, ἀλλὰ καὶ στάσεως οὔ[σης]. || τούτου οὖν χάριν ἐπέμ- | ψαμεν πρὸς σὲ ποταμοφύ- | λακα, ἵνα ὅτι ποτὲ φρο- | νεῖς ἀντιγράψῃς ἡμῖν | καὶ δυνηθῆι ἐκπλεκῆναι | τὸ πρᾶγμα πρὸ τῆς τοῦ κρα- | τίστου ἐπιστρατήγου εἰ[ς] τὸν | Λυκοπ[ολείτ]ην ἐπιδ[ημί-] | ας. | [hand 2] [ἐρ]ρῶσθαί σ[ε εὔχομαι] | κ[ύριε …] | […] || [hand 3] Ἀπολλων[ίωι στρ]ατηγ(ῶι) (ἑπτα)κωμίας
Translation: Ammonios and Hermokles to their most honoured Apollonios, greeting. We had no time, because of the bringing-in of the public corn, to protest to you and complain about your attacking us as if we were men of no account. You did this in the letter which you wrote to Sarapion, strategos of the Lykopolite nome, saying that we had not given you your third share of the chickling, but that we had […] a third […] || If we had not been engaged with the supplies for Artorius Priscillus, the epistrategos, we should have made inquiries about the division so that you should receive two-thirds and we […] | we were involved in the division of the chickling of the Hermopolite nome […] | by a half […] and that you should have received a half-share from the Hermopolite nome, so that you might be relieved both about the quality and […]. We took much trouble to write to one another […], however, because of the Jewish disturbances. Now the affair must be governed by your conscience and your view of the matter […] consider too that not much […] and that there was a state of riot. || For this reason we have sent to you a river-guard, so that you may reply to us as you will and the matter may be resolved before the visit of the epistrategos to the Lykopolite nome. [hand 2] We pray for your health, lord. || [hand 3] To Apollonios, strategos of Heptakomia.
Provenience: Hermopolis, Egypt Sept 117-Apr 118 CE
Commentary: An extensive archive of Apollonios the strategos has survived, much of it relating to the War of Quietus (cf. §376 and §377). That said, despite the military connotations of his office, strategos was a purely administrative position in Roman Egypt. This one cites Apollonios’ use of a river-guard, which in other Egyptian documents seems to be a military escort.
Bibliography: CPJ 444*; P.Brem. 11; Miriam Pucci Ben Zeev, Diaspora Judaism in Turmoil, 116/117 CE: Ancient Sources and Modern Insights (Interdisciplinary Studies in Ancient Culture and Religion 6; Leuven: Peeters, 2005) no. 31.