Stable URL: http://ancientassociations.ku.dk/assoc/1819Download as PDF
Last Updated on 16 Jan 2019

Author: Matt Gibbs & Philip F. Venticinque

CAPInv. 1819: demosioi georgoi tes autes komes

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Egypt
ii. Nome Arsinoites (00)
iii. Site Tebtynis

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) δημόσιοι γεωργοὶ τῆς αὐτῆς κώμης (P.Mich. V 313 l. 8)
ii. Full name (transliterated) demosioi georgoi tes autes komes

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 37 AD

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

i. Name in other forms δημόσιοι γεωργοὶ τῆς προκειμένης κώμης Τεβτύνεως tes prokeimenes komes Tebtyneos (P.Mich. II 121 recto IV xii 1)
ii. Name elements
Geographical:kome Tebtynis
Professional:demosioi georgoi

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) P.Mich. V 313 (AD 37)
P.Mich. II 121 recto IV xii 1-3 (AD 42)
Online Resources P.Mich. V 313 = TM 12123
P.Mich. II 121 recto IV xii 1-3 = TM 11964
i.a. Source type(s) Papyrological source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Lease (P.Mich. V 313); abstract of agreement or confirmation (P.Mich. II 121 recto IV xii 1-3); Greek
i.c. Physical format(s) papyrus

VII. ORGANIZATION

iv. Officials

P.Mich. V 313: l. 2-8, πρεσβύτεροι presbyteroi: Horos, son of Harmiysis, son of Harpares; Orsenouphis, son of Horouanchious; Harmaeis, son of Petesouchos; Stotouetis, son of Kollouthos; Aunes, son of Tephorsos; Onnophris, son of Kollouthos.

l.9, γραμματεύς grammateus: Harmiusis son of Orseus (but does this individual belong to the same group, cf. P.Mich. II 121r IV xii 1-3)

P.Mich. II 121r IV xii 1-3: οἱ γραμματεῖς hoi grammateis (possible scribal error here given the parallel [?]: READ πρεσβύτεροι presbyteroi[?]): Orenouphis, son of Horouanchis; Apynchis, son of Harmiysius; Apsemis son of Psosneus; Psenkebkis, son of Sokonopis; Orsenouphis, son of Orsenouphis.
v. Other staff P.Mich. II 121r IV xii 1-3: Harmiysis, secretary of (other) cultivators of the same village (but cf. same man in P.Mich. V 313 acting as grammateus of the georgoi; are we dealing with the same man or the same association?).

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

ii. Realty 313: Leaseholders of public land; here a reed bed and pasture land, a half share of which they sublease to another farmer
iii. Income 313: 60 drachmas (silver) for this lease

IX. MEMBERSHIP

i. Number 313: At least 7 (?)
121: At least 5
ii. Gender Men
Note The recorded names are male name.
iii. Age Adults
Note 313: Horos: 68; Orsenouphis: 58; Harmaeis: 55; Stotouetis: no age given; Aunes: 33; Onnophris: 35; Harmiysis (grammateus): 55; average age : 50 yrs 8 months; Herakleides (leasee): 50

P.Mich. II. 121r IV xii 1-3: Orsenouphis: 55; Apynchis: 50; Apsemis: 50; Psenkebkis: 30; Orsenouphis: 40.
grammateus: Harmyisis, 56.
(Lessees) Herakles: 65; Orses: 58.

vi. Proper names and physical features 313: [elders] Horos, son of Harmiysis, son of Harpares, with a scar on his right forearm; Orsenouphis, son of Horouanchis, with a scar on his right calf; Harmaeis, son of Petesouchos, with a scar on his left calf; Stotouetis, son of Kollouthos, with a scar on the little finger of his left hand (cf. P.Mich. V 314 [?]); Aunes, son of Tephorsos, with a scar on the left side of his forehead; Onnophris, son of Kollouthos, about 35 years old, with a scar on his right knee;
[grammateus] Harmiysis, son of Orseus, with a scar on his right forearm;
[lessee] Herakleides, son of Didymos, a Persian of the epigone, with a scar on the middle of his nose.

P.Mich. II 121r IV xii 1-3: Orsenouphis, son of Horouanchis, with a scar on the right calf; Apynchis, son of Harmiysis, with a scar on the right cheek; Apsemis, son of Psosneus, with a scar on the right wrist; Psenkebkis, son of Sokonopis, with a scar on the right forearm; Orsenouphis, son of Orsenouphis, with a scar on the nose below the eyebrow.
Secretary of (other) cultivators: Harmiysis, with a scar on the right forearm.

Lessees: Herakles, son of Aphrodisios, with a scar on the right cheek; Orses, son of of Phasos, with a scar on the thumb of his right hand.

XI. INTERACTION

i. Local interaction As public farmers, and as lessors of public land, there would have been a fair degree of local interaction with local individuals. There must also have been some relationship between the group and the local grapheion, run by Kronion, son of Apion, even if only that Kronion was involved in the storage of the text.

XII. NOTES

i. Comments Inclusion of this group depends mainly on use of association-like hierarchy with appointed officials and a scribe; possible parallel with a group like the apolysimoi who were cultivators of imperial land (CAPInv. 1409 ); see also P.Mich. V 344 (I AD).
Moreover, there is some confusion in light of the P.Mich. II text about who exactly Harmiysis acted as grammateus for; in an association with four secretaries, if Harmiysis was, in fact, a secretary for this group surely he would have been included with the rest of the group. He was not, and we should question why: Were there other groups of cultivators aside from the demosioi georgoi in Tebtynis? Or perhaps—given the parallel texts—this is a result of scribal error, and we are dealing with the 'elders' (πρεσβύτεροι presbyteroi) of the demosioi georgoi.
iii. Bibliography Monson, A. (2012) From the Ptolemies to the Romans: political and economic change in Egypt. Cambridge (see chapter 4 in passing, 108-55).

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Possible
Note It remains unclear whether or not the demosioi georgoi were a private association; their similarities to certain private associations in Egypt, with respect to officials (in particular), suggest that it is possible that this groups of farmers were organised on a private basis. That these groups existed and operated collectively is confirmed by several other documents.