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Last Updated on 14 Jan 2019

Author: Matt Gibbs & Philip F. Venticinque

CAPInv. 1658: halopolai apo Tebtyneos

I. LOCATION

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

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) ἁλοπῶλαι ἀπὸ Τεβτύνεως (P.Mich. V 245 l. 3)
ii. Full name (transliterated) halopolai apo Tebtyneos

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 47 AD

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Geographical:apo Tebtyneos
Professional:halopolai

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) P.Mich. V 245 (18 Aug. AD 47)
Note AGRW 302
Online Resources P.Mich. V 245
TM 12086
AGRW ID 3174
i.a. Source type(s) Papyrological source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Regulations/charter of the group in Greek.
i.c. Physical format(s) papyrus

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership Apynchis, son of Orseus, as president/supervisor (epimeletes, ἐπιμελητής, l. 5) and collector (?) (eisaktes, εἰσάκτης, l. 5) of "public taxes" (here δημόσια, demosia, l. 5).
iii. Members οἱ ὑπογεγραμμένοι ἄνδρες ἁλοπῶλαι hoi hypogegrammenoi andres halopolai (ll. 2-3)
vi. Laws and rules Prices are set (ll.21-24), and if any member sells at a lower price, they will be fined 8 drachmas (ζημιούσθω zemioustho, l. 25) for the "common fund" (εἰς τὸ κοινὸν, eis to koinon, l. 25) and the "public treasury" (τὸ δημόσιον, to demosion, l.26). If any member brings in gypsum to sell, then it must be left on the premises of Orseus, son of Harmiysis until it is taken outside and sold. Members are to meet on the 25th of each month and bring (?) a chous of beer. An unknown rule (?) follows here (ll. 35-37), with what are presumably fines although there is no terminology other than figures and places.
viii. Obligations Members are to meet on the 25th of each month and bring (?) a chous of beer.

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

i. Treasury/Funds l.25: εἰς τὸ κοινὸν eis to koinon referring to a common fund.
iii. Income Orseus pays 66 dr for the sole right to sell gypsum in Tebtynis by lot (κεκληρῶθαι, keklerothai l. 15; ll. 11-15 generally) and 8 dr to sell salt in Kerkesis (ll. 15-17); Harmiysis alias Belles, son of Harmiysis, holds the sole right to sell salt and gypsum in Tristomos, also known as Boukolos, for 5 dr (ll.17-21).

IX. MEMBERSHIP

i. Number Five (we have names of four).
ii. Gender Men
Note The recorded names are male names.
iii. Age Adults
v. Relations Possible fathers and sons/brothers here (Apynchis and Orseus [father and son?]; Harmiysis, also called Belles, son of Harmiysis and Orseus, son of Harmiysis [brothers?])
vi. Proper names and physical features Apynchis (Eponychos?), son of Orseus; Orseus; Harmiysis (alias Belles), son of Harmiysis; Orseus, son of Hariysis

X. ACTIVITIES

ii. Meetings and events The members were to meet on the 25th of each month and drink a chous of beer (l. 34). There is no particular term set for the meeting itself, and the passage between 35-36 is not particularly clear (although see P.Mich. V 244 ll. 7-9 for a fair comparison and the use of συντάσσω syntasso [συνταγήν syntage l.7] here: CAPInv. 1409). The regularity of the meeting is stressed by the use of ἀεί aei here in l. 34.
iv. Honours/Other activities Certain localities within the region of Tebtynis and some of the surrounding villages appear to be worth more than those that were assigned to regular members, and required the payment of additional costs, although the rights to sell in these localities was provided by lot: Orseus pays 66 dr for the sole right to sell gypsum in Tebtynis and 8 dr to sell salt in Kerkesis (ll.11-15, 15-17); Harmiysis alias Belles, son of Harmiysis, holds the sole right to sell salt and gypsum in Tristomos, also known as Boukolos, for 5 dr (ll.17-19).

XI. INTERACTION

i. Local interaction The selling of salt in Tebtynis and in the smaller towns and villages in its surround regions certainly would have meant members interacting with the local population, but the nature of the document does not offer us any evidence as to whether or not the association here would have advertised themselves as such. The only implication comes from the clause concerning the collective sale of salt (l.31: πάντας πωλήσειν αὐτῷ κοινῶς pantas polesani auto koinos) to a merchant (ἔμπορος emporos) in the case that the sale was more than four drachmas worth of salt (ll. 26-31).

XII. NOTES

i. Comments It is uncertain whether the salt-merchants mentioned in P.Mich. II 128 III l. 10 and P.Mich. V 240 I l. 31 (both AD 46/7) belonged to this group.
The premises (?) of Orseus, son of Harmiysis appear to have been used for storage (l.32/33: ἐν τοῖς τοῦ Ὀρσεῦτος Ἁρμιύσιος en tois tou Orseutos Armiysios).
iii. Bibliography Alston, R. (1998) “Trade and the City in Roman Egypt.” In H. Parkins and C. Smith (eds.), Trade, Traders and the Ancient City. London; New York: Routledge: 168-202 (esp. 172).
Boak, A.E.R. (1937) 'An Ordinance of the Salt Merchants', AJP 58.2: 210–19.
Boak, A.E.R. (1937) 'The Organization of Gilds in Greco-Roman Egypt', TAPhA 68: 212-20.
Gibbs, M. (2011) "Trade Associations in Roman Egypt: Their Raison d’Être." AncSoc 41: 291-315 (esp. 293, 295-6);
Venticinque, P. F. (2010) "Family Affairs: Guild Regulations and Family Relationships in Roman Egypt.” GRBS 50: 278-286 (esp. 286);
Venticinque, P. F. (2013) “Matters of Trust: Associations and Social Capital in Roman Egypt.” CHS Research Bulletin 1, no. 2.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The context of the association rules here make it clear that this is a private association. Although it is entirely possible that some form of monopoly is in play, the organisation of it appears to be in the hands of the members.