Claudius Terentianus on the War of Quietus
(0381) Text: [Κλαύ]δ[ιο]ς Τ[ερεντιανὸς Κλαυδίῳ] Τ[ιβ]ερ[ι]ανῶι τῷ | π[ατρὶ] καὶ κυρί[ῳ πλεῖστα χαίρειν]. πρὸ μὲν π[ά]ντων | ε[ὔχομ]αί σε [ὑ]για[ίνειν καὶ εὐτυχεῖν, ὅ] μοι εὐκ[τ]αῖόν ἐστιν, τὸ | π[ροσ]κύν[η]μά [σου … πο]ι̣ο[ύμ]ενος καθʼ ἑκάστην | ἡ[μέρ]αν παρὰ [τῷ κυρίῳ Σαράπιδι κ]α[ὶ τ]οῖς συννάοις [θ]εο[ῖ]ς. | ἐ[κομ]ισάμην σο[υ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐξ ἧς ἐπέγνων ἀ]ναπεπλευκέναι | καὶ [σὲ ἐ]ν ᾧ εὕρη[κας πλοίῳ ὑπάγοντι εἰς Ἀρσινοεί]την. γεινώσκειν | σε θέλω ἀπεληλ[υθότα με παρακλη]θ[έ]ντα τὸ γράμμα κα- | ταχωρίσαι καὶ [ἠπορηκότα με δεό]μενο[ν] αὐτοῦ οὗ ἐστιν εἰς τὸ | ὄν[ο]μα τὸ γράμ[μα γεγραμμένο]ν ἵνα [κατ]αγρ̣άψῃ. χωρὶς γὰρ | αὐτ[ο]ῦ οὐ δύνομ[αι αὐτὸ κατα]χωρίσα[ι]. εὗρον δὲ καὶ Παπεῖ- | ριν [Ἀ]πολλινᾶρι[ν ᾧ ἐδήλωσα ἃ] ἤκου[σα τ]ῶν νομικῶν, καὶ λε- | γέ [μοι] ἄφες σ[ὺ ἕως οὗ αὐτ]ῷ̣ ἐὰν ἦν δυ̣[ν]ατὸν καταβῆναι. | ἐπ[ει]δὴ σὺ τὰ [σὰ ὀλιγωρεῖς ἐν] τῇ χώρ[ᾳ] μένων, ἐν Ἀλεξαν- | δρε[ίᾳ] ἀναμί[ναντός μου, γενοῦ ἐν] Ἀλ[εξ]ανδρείᾳ. ἀναβὰς εἰς | τὴ[ν] χώραν ἀ[μελεῖς ὅλως αὐτῶ]ν, ἀ[λλὰ καὶ] ὧδε ὢν ἐκπλέξε | αὐτ[ὰ] ἠμέλη[σας …] ἂν καταπλεύ- | σῃς δύναται γε[νέσθαι …]ος αν[…]βη ἀδιαφορῖ. γρά- | φις μοι πεπ[ομφέναι …]ον διὰ Ἀνουβίωνος, οὐ δὲ | οἶδ[έν] σε γράψ[αντά μοι ὧδε] κ[αὶ] ἐμοὶ οὐδὲν δέδωκεν. | ἀφʼ ἧ[ς] ἀνέβης ἕω[ς] σή[μερον π]ρώτιστα τὴν ἐπιστολὴν | καὶ τ[ὸ] καλάθιον κεκό[μισμαι δ]ιὰ Αὐρηλίου, καὶ μελησά[τ]ω | σοι, [κ]ύριε πατή[ρ, γρ]άψ[αι Ἀνουβί]ωνει μὴ ἐξουδονήσῃ | με[…]ειδ[…]ελθεῖν. ἄλλη | γὰρ χάρις ἐστὶ […]ε. οὔπω γὰρ ε[ἰ]ς | π[ρό]σωπον […]ελθεῖν διακενῆς. καὶ | ἐρω[τ]ῶ σε ἂν δύνῃ [μοι ταχύτ]ερον πέμψαι ὑπόδημα | ἐπὶ πο[λλ]ὰ ὀνε[ίναμαι αὐτῶν]. οἶδες γὰρ ὅτι κοπιῶ- | μεν ἄρτι δ[ιό]τ[ι] κα[θαιροῦμε]ν τ[ὸ]ν θόρυβον καὶ ἀ- | καταστασίαν τῆς πόλ[εως. καλῶς] ποιή[σ]ει[ς] κα[τ]απ[έ]μ- | ψ[α]ι μοι α[…]δω[…]το αὐτοῦ καὶ Γε- | μέ[λ]λῳ τρ̣ία […]κα[…]να. [γ]εινώσκειν σε θέλω | μ[ετὰ] τὸ ἄν[ω ἤδ]η [σ]ο[ι] γε[γ]ραμ[μ]έ[ν]ον ἐνηνεγμένον μοι | θ[… ὑ]πὸ τοῦ π[α]τρ̣[ὸ]ς Ἀνου[βί]ωνος τὸ καλάθιον, καὶ τὸ | τέ[λο]ς νοῖν πά[ρεσ]τιν ἐ[μο]ί̣. ἐπ[ει]δὴ οὐχ̣ εὕρ̣ηκα ἐγὼ πέμψαι | διὰ τὸ νωθρε[ύεσ]θαί με, καλῶς οὖν [π]οιήσεις τὰ σὰ με- | τέ[ωρ]α ἐκπλέ[ξαι τ]αχέω[ς] κα[ὶ] καταπλε[ῦ]σαι πρὸς ἐμέ. ὁ γὰρ | κάμ[ατο]ς ἄρτι ἀ[γέλοι]ός ἐστιν κἂν δ[έ]ο[ν] ε[ἵνα] τραφῶ ὑπὸ ἄλ- | λο[υ, ὡς] ἀκούσεις π[αραγ]εινόμεν[ος] ἐπ[ὶ τῆς πόλεως. ἀσ]πάζεταί σε | πο[λ]λὰ Ἰσίδω[ρος] καὶ Σεμπρών[ιος καὶ] πάντες οἱ φιλοῦν- | τέ[ς σ]ε ἐξ ἀλη[θεί]ας [π]αντ[ε]λ[ῶς καὶ] Ζωτικὴν ἣν ἐρχό- | μ[ενο]ς κατεν[έγ]κεις μετὰ σο[ῦ συνει]δὼς ὅτι μέλλομεν | α[ὐτῆς] χρῄζει[ν ἐν]θάδε. ἄσπ[ασαι πά]ντες τοὺς φιλοῦν- | τέ[ς σε] κ[ατʼ] ὄν[ομα. ἐρρῶσ]θ[αί σε] εὔχομαι πολ- | [λοῖς χ]ρό[νοις].
Translation: Claudius Terentianus to Claudius Tiberianus, his father and lord, very many greetings. Before all else I pray for your health and success, which are my wish, and I make obeisance for you […] daily in the presence of our lord Sarapis and the gods who share his temple. I received your letter, from which I learned that you also sailed up in the boat that you found going to the Arsinoite nome. I want you to know that I went at your request to register the document and was at a loss because I needed the person in whose name the document was drawn, in order that he might record it. For without him I am unable to register it. I also looked up Papirius Apollinarius and told him what I had heard from the notaries, and he said to me. Let it go until he is able to come down.” Inasmuch as you are neglecting your affairs by remaining in the country, come to Alexandria, since I have waited in Alexandria. Having gone up into the country, you are neglecting them totally; but even when you were here you neglected to settle them […]. If you sail down, they can be dispatched […]. You write me that you have sent […] through Anubion, but he does not know that you wrote to me here and has given me nothing. From the day that you went upcountry until today, for the first time, I have received the letter and the basket through Aurelius; and do you be concerned, my lord father, to write to Anubion lest he disregard me, […] And I ask you, if you are able, to send me sandals without delay, since I derive much benefit from them. For you know that we are working hard now, in view of the fact that we are suppressing the uproar and anarchy of the city. You will do well to send down to me […] and to Gemellus three […] want you to know that after the above had already been written to you the basket was brought to me […] by Anubion’s father, and now at last I have it. Since I have found no one to send because I am ill, you will therefore do well to conclude your business quickly and sail down to me. For the illness is at this moment no laughing matter, and it is even necessary that I be fed by someone else, as you will hear when you come to the city. Isidorus and Sempronius and all who love you truly and completely send many salutations to you as well as Zotice, whom you will bring down with you when you come because you know that we are going to need her here. Salute all your friends, each by name, I pray for your health through many years.
Provenience: Karanis, Egypt 116-117 CE
Commentary: An extensive archive of Claudius Terentianus, a soldier of classis Alexandriae, survives, but this is the only one relevant to the War of Quietus.
Bibliography: P.Mich. 477*; 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. 23.