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Last Updated on 01 Dec 2018

Author: Mario C.D. Paganini

CAPInv. 670: U-EGY-011

I. LOCATION

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

II. NAME

i. Association with unknown name U-EGY-011

III. DATE

i. Date(s) i BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

iii. Descriptive terms σύνοδος, synodos
Note synodos: P.Ross. Georg. II 8, l. 13; P.Sorb. I 57, l. 6.

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) P.Ross. Georg. II 8 (32 Thoth = 22 October 150 BC or 19 October 139 BC (ed.pr.); 6 October 86 BC may be in fact more appropriate)
P.Sorb. I 57 (51 BC? (ed.pr.); 30 Sep 80 BC seems more appropriate)
Online Resources P.Ross. Georg. II 8; TM 5283
P.Sorb. I 57; TM 3172
i.a. Source type(s) Papyrological source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Fragmentary Greek receipts of wheat by the members of an association. P.Ross. Georg. II 8 is preceded by the list of names of the members who approved the transaction (each name is followed by the verb εὐδοκῶ, eudoko).
i.c. Physical format(s) Papyrus.

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

ii. References to buildings/objects πυρός, pyros (P.Ross. Georg. II 8, ll. 13, 15)
κοινὸς πυρός, koinos pyros (P.Sorb. I 57, ll. 3-4, 9-10)

VII. ORGANIZATION

iii. Members The members are indicated as οἱ ἐκ τῆς συνόδου, hoi ek tes synodou (P.Ross. Georg. II 8, l. 13; P.Sorb. I 57, l. 6).

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

iii. Income The association had common wheat (P.Sorb. I 57, ll. 3-4, 8-10: ὁ ὑπάρχων ἡμῖν κοινὸς πυρός, ho hyparchon hemin koinos pyros), possibly stored in communal granaries. It is uncertain whether the wheat was bought communally or cultivated on land owned by the association. The members seem to have had the faculty of administering independently some shares of the crops, which were kept under individual accounts (λόγοι, logoi: P.Ross. Georg. II 8, l. 13; P.Sorb. I 57, l. 2, 8) on the members' name. In the case of the present texts, over a period of six years Ptolemaios transferred (at least in three 'instalments': 1 artaba on 6 October 86 BC in P.Ross.Georg. II 8; six artabae in June/July 80 BC in P.Sorb. I 57, ll. 1-4; and an unknown amount on 30 September 80 BC in P.Sorb. I 57, ll. 5-10) some wheat from the common crops to the association for the account of Antiphilos: both men were presumably members and Ptolemaios was probably repaying a debt to Antiphilos or the price for a purchase or a lease. In P.Ross. Georg. II 8 the members of the association declared that, with receipt of the transfer of one artaba by Ptolemaios for the account of Antiphilos, they had received a total of 27 artabae of wheat (ca 1,050 litres = ca 820 kg).

IX. MEMBERSHIP

i. Number At least ten people are listed as members giving approval for the transaction in P.Ross. Georg. II 8, to whom two more members (Polemaios and Antiphilos) need being added. However, it is not possible to know for certain the total number of members.
ii. Gender Men
Note The names of the members who agreed to the transaction in P.Ross. Georg. II 8 are all male names, as well as Ptolemaios and Antiphilos in both texts.
vi. Proper names and physical features P.Ross. Georg. II 8:
Ἀρκεσίλαος
Λαομέδων
Τιμοκράτης
Διογένης
Ἡρακλείδης
Καλλίας
Καλλίστρατος νεώ(τερος)
Δίδυμος
Μενεκράτης
Πτολεμαῖος
Ἀντίφιλος

P.Sorb. I 57:
Πτολεμαῖος
Ἀντίφιλος

XII. NOTES

i. Comments The upper part of P.Ross. Georg. II 8 is missing: it should have contained the text of some decision taken by the association (perhaps regarding the acquisition or administration of the communal crops?) to which the list of members approving was appended, together with the receipt of wheat. The bottom part of P.Sorb. I 57 is missing.
The provenance of P.Ross. Georg. II 8 is unknown; its date to the II BC is probably not correct. On the basis of onomastics and typology and nature of the texts, it is likely that the two texts deal with the same association and should be dated to the I BC from Philadelpheia in the Arsinoites (or thereabouts). The palaeography of P.Sorb. I 57 (image in the ed.pr.: Plate XXVI) supports a dating to the end of 80s BC. An image of P.Ross. Georg. II 8 was not possible to obtain and therefore its dating remains conjectural.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The terminology used (synodos), the presence of common fund and granary, and the dealings in which the group was involved make it certain that we have here a private association.