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Last Updated on 03 Jan 2019

Author: Mario C.D. Paganini

CAPInv. 1213: U-EGY-029

I. LOCATION

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

II. NAME

i. Association with unknown name U-EGY-029

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 112 / 111 BC

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) P.Tebt. I 118 (ca 112/11 BC)
Note The text is also published in Sel.Pap. I 185.
Online Resources P.Tebt. I 118
TM 3754
i.a. Source type(s) Papyrological source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek account of expenses of an association.
ii. Source(s) provenance From crocodile mummy 23 from the necropolis of Tebtynis.

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

ii. References to buildings/objects οἴνος, oinos (ll. 2, 9, 16)
στέφανος, stephanos (l. 9, 16)
ἄρτοι, artoi (l. 2)

VII. ORGANIZATION

iii. Members The regular members are called σύνδειπνοι, syndeipnoi (ll. 4, 11). The association also welcomed (perhaps on special occasions) ξένοι, xenoi (ll. 4, 12) 'guests' (a third 'category' of people allowed to take part in the association's activities may be mentioned in the lacuna at the end of l. 10: the term lost would qualifying the status among the association of two people whose proper names are indicated after the syndeipnoi and before the xenoi). The entire membership, both of regular members and guests, is collectively called ἄνδρες, andres (ll, 3, 10, 17).
iv. Officials The association had an οἰκονόμος, oikonomos (ll. 8, 15; after BL II.2), in charge of the association's finances.
ix. Privileges If we are to take the mention of the funerary banquet in honour of one of the members (l. 1: περίδειπνον, perideipnon) as indicating a customary practice by the association, members were entitled to have funerary celebrations upon their death.

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

i. Treasury/Funds The association had funds to pay for the expenses of banquets and drinking-parties and collected money from members and guests: everything was recorded in the association's accounts. The surplus from the money collected was kept by the association (in the hands of the oikonomos); any expense in excess was also met by the funds of the association.
iii. Income Each person (members and guests) had to pay 100 copper drachmae in order to take part in a banquet or drinking-party of the association. According to the accounts, the association kept 10 copper drachmae from the surplus arising from the money collected for the funeral feast of one of the members on 17 of Hathyr (ll. 1-8) and 180 copper drachmae form the surplus for a drinking-party or meeting (with wine involved) two days later, on 20 of Hathyr (ll. 9-15). On the other hand, the association had to pay 20 copper drachmae for a drinking-party/meeting on 25 of Tybi when an insufficient number of funds had been collected to cover the costs. In the end, after the expenses for these three meetings only the association was able to keep in its coffers (in the oikonomos' hands) 170 copper drachmae.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

i. Number The members proper of the association were at least 18 (ll. 4, 10), if not even 21 (l. 17: the figure here refers to ἄνδρες, andres attending a meeting without further specification of whether these only included full members or also guests).
ii. Gender Men
Note Given the fact that members are also collectively called ἄνδρες, andres (ll, 10, 17) and that the names of the 'guests' recorded are all male, the association was formed by men only. The only name of a (presumably) member of the association recorded in the accounts seems to be Καλατύτις (l. 1), whose funeral banquet was held by the association.
iii. Age Adults
Note It seems likely that the members were all adults, as they are called ἄνδρες, andres (ll, 10, 17).
vi. Proper names and physical features Καλατύτις, whose funeral banquet was held by the association was probably a member: this is the only proper name of a fully-fledged member preserved.

Names of two people with uncertain status within the association: Νεφορηγῆς Κερ̣α( ) καὶ Σεν[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]

Names of guests:
Τ ̣ ̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣ ̣] Νουμηνίου
Καμῆς Ἁρφαήσιος
Τεῶς Πετεχῶντος
Παπνεβτῦνις Σοκέως
Μαρρῆς Πετ[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]
Πετεσοῦχος Μέλανο(ς)
Χαιρή(μων) Δι[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]

X. ACTIVITIES

ii. Meetings and events The association held at least a funerary banquet for one of its members (on 17 Hathyr), which 22 people attended and during which a 6-chous jar (ca 30 litres) of wine and 6 dinner loaves of bread were consumed. Three days later (20 Hathyr) the association held another meeting, with 23 people attending, for which a 6-chous jar (ca 30 litres) of wine and a garland or wreath were bought. Two months and five days passed before the association met again (or at any rate, before another item of expense was recorded in the accounts): on 25 Tybi a keramion jar (ca 30 litres) of wine and a garland (if the restoration in lacuna is correct) were bought for a meeting in which 21 people took part. On the basis of the items bought (wine, bread, and garlands), it appears clear that the association's meetings could involve banquets and drinking-parties, inclusive of garlands (whether the garlands or wreath were used for crowning statues and busts, for decoration of altars or tables, or for adornment of distinguished members, is uncertain – the item is recorded in the singular in the accounts, which means that one garland only was purchased at the time).

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note Although the name of the association is missing, the presence of terms such as σύνδειπνοι, syndeipnoi and ξένοι, xenoi, as well as the presence of funds with a structured system of collecting them for meetings and banquets, the presence of an oikonomos in charge of the funds, and the solemnisation of a funeral banquet (perideipnon) of a person (presumably a member), testify to the character of private association for this group.