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Inventory of Ancient Associations

Stable URL: http://ancientassociations.ku.dk/assoc/1532Download as PDF

Last Updated on 14 Jan 2019

Author: Mario C.D. Paganini

CAPInv. 1532: U-EGY-048

I. LOCATION

i.	Geographical area	Egypt
ii.	Nome	Oxyrhynchites (U19)
iii.	Site	Oxyrhynchus

II. NAME

i.

Association with unknown name

U-EGY-048

III. DATE

i.

Date(s)

99 BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

iii.	Descriptive terms	κοινόν, koinon σύστημα systema
	Note	koinon: P.Ryl. IV 586, ll. 9, 15, 24. systema: P.Ryl. IV 586, l. 3

V. SOURCES

i.	Source(s)	SB VI 9255 + P.Ryl. IV 586 (Apellaios = Phaophi = 17 October – 15 November 99 BC)
	Note	Other editions: AGRW 304
	Online Resources	SB VI 9255 + P.Ryl. IV 586 TM 5736 AGRW ID 3185
i.a.	Source type(s)	Papyrological source(s)
i.b.	Document(s) typology & language/script	Greek loan from an association's common funds to one individual by two other men, who presumably acted on behalf of or represented the association.
i.c.	Physical format(s)	Papyrus. The text is preserved in two fragments: SB VI 9255 contains the upper part of the text, whereas P.Ryl. IV 586 the rest of the text. The two fragments join perfectly in l. 9 of SB VI 9255, which corresponds to l. 1 of P.Ryl. IV 586.

VII. ORGANIZATION

iii.	Members	The members of the association may be referred to as οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ συστή[ματος], hoi apo tou systematos (P.Ryl. IV 586, l. 3). However, the term could also indicate a committee within the association in charge of granting loans: [ἐπακολουθούντων (?) τῶν] \| ἀπὸ τοῦ συστή[ματος , [epakolouthounton (?) ton] apo tou syste[matos] (P.Ryl. IV 586, ll. 2-3).
iv.	Officials	The text states that the loan should be returned to the two lenders, Simaristos and Didymos, or to the ὁ προχειρισθησόμενος τοῦ κοινοῦ χρηματοφύλαξ, ho procheiristhesomenos tou koinou chrematophylax (P.Ryl. IV 586, ll. 8-10, 14-16). Equally, legal right of action against the creditor in case of default lies with Simaristos and Didymos, or with the to-be chrematophylax of the association (P.Ryl. IV 586, ll. 23-24). It seems therefore likely that Simaristos and Didymos were two officials of the association (one of them perhaps the chrematophylax himself), whose term of office was about to expire and a new chrematophylax was to be appointed before the loan should be paid back. It is possible that the term σύστημα systema (P.Ryl. IV 586, l. 3), besides indicating the association at large, may refer to a committee (of officials) in charge of granting loans: [ἐπακολουθούντων (?) τῶν] \| ἀπὸ τοῦ συστή[ματος , [epakolouthounton (?) ton] apo tou syste[matos] (P.Ryl. IV 586, ll. 2-3).

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

i.	Treasury/Funds	The fact that the funds for the loan are indicating as coming [ἐκ τῶν ἐπι]\|κοινῶν̣ χ̣ρ̣ημ[άτων], ek ton epikoinon chrematon, proves that the association had funds. The presence of a chrematophylax also goes in that direction.
iii.	Income	The association lent money (presumably to its members) and applied interest on its loans. In the present case there is an interest of two drachmae a month for each mina (P.Ryl. IV 586, ll. 6-7). The total amount of the loan is not completely preserved but amounted to 53 talents and some thousands copper drachmae (P.Ryl. IV 586, ll. 56, 10-11): the monthly interest was at least 6,400 copper drachmae (1 talent and 4 mina). The loan was to be repaid in a month (lost in lacuna) of the same year when the loan was drawn: given the fact that the text was written in Apellaiou = Phaophi (second month of the Egyptian calendar), the loan was to be repaid within ten months maximum.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii.	Gender	Men
	Note	The creditors and the debtor are all male. It seems likely that they all belonged to the association. The debtor's wife appears in P.Ryl. IV 586, ll. 21-22 giving security for the repayment of the loan by her husband and declaring herself liable of legal action against her (and her possessions), alongside her husband (and his possessions), in case of her husband's default. It is not likely that she was a member of the association.
iii.	Age	Adults
	Note	Simaros was 69, Didymos was 59, and Demetrios the debtor was 33 (P.Ryl. IV 586, ll. 28-34).
iv.	Status	Simaristos is defined as Lakon (Laconian: SB VI 9255, ll. 6-7) and Didymos is indicated as being Makedon (SB VI 9255, ll. 7-8); the debtor Demetrios is defined as Perses tes epigones (SB VI 9255, ll. 8-9), and so is his wife Asklepias (P.Ryl. IV 586, l. 21).
vi.	Proper names and physical features	Σιμάριστος Δημητρίο[υ τοῦ καὶ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣]ο̣υ Λάκων Δί̣δ̣υμ̣[ος Μακε]δὼν Δημητ̣ρ̣[ίῳ Πέρσῃ τῆς] ἐπιγονῆς The three of them are said ο̣[ἱ τρεῖς ἀγυιᾶς Κλεοπάτρας] Ἀφροδίτης (street in Oxyrhynchus) Σιμάριστο̣ς̣ ὡς (ἐτῶν) ξθ μέσος μ̣ε[γέθει] οὐ(λὴ) μετ(ώπῳ) μέσ(ῳ) Δίδυμος ὡς (ἐτῶν) νθ μεί(ζων) ἢ μέσος τεταν(ὸς) οὐ(λὴ) ὑπὸ σιαγό(να) ἀρι(στεράν) Δημήτριος ὡς (ἐτῶν) λγ μεί(ζων) ἢ [μέσ(ος)] ἀστραγάλ(ῳ) οὐ(λὴ) ὀφρύ(ι) δεξ(ιᾷ) ἄλλη ὑπὸ τὴν αὐ̣τήν.

XIII. EVALUATION

i.	Private association	Certain
	Note	The presence of terms such as koinon and systema, of common funds, of an official in charge of the treasury makes it certain that we are dealing here with a private association.