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Last Updated on 03 Jan 2019

Author: Mario C.D. Paganini

CAPInv. 854: hoi en tei Kaine notophoroi

I. LOCATION

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

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) οἱ ἐν τῆι Καινῇ νωτοφόροι (P.Erasm. I 12, ll. 2-3)
ii. Full name (transliterated) hoi en tei Kaine notophoroi

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 152 BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Geographical:en Kaine
Professional:notophoroi

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) P.Erasm. I 12 (152 BC)
Online Resources P.Erasm. I 12
TM 5056
i.a. Source type(s) Papyrological source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Receipt in Greek of an advance loan for the payment of transport-expenses, addressed to the sitologos of the ergasterion of the village of Oxyrhyncha (Ars.) from the officials of the notophoroi of the village of Kaine.
i.c. Physical format(s) Papyrus.

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership The group had a ἡγούμενος, hegoumenos (l. 2): he was called Petearmotes, son of Horos. The hegoumenos together with the other elders acknowledged receipt of the advance payment for the notophoroi's services.
iv. Officials On the basis of the wording Πετεαρμώτης Ὥρου | ὁ ἡγούμενος τοῖς ἐν τῆι | Καινῇ νωτοφόροις καὶ οἱ | ἄλλοι πρυσβύτεροι, Petearmotes Horou | ho hegoumenos tois en tei | Kaine notophorois kai hoi | alloi prysbyteroi (ll. 1-4), it seems that the officials of the group were collectively called πρυσβύτεροι, i.e. πρεσβύτεροι, presbyteroi.

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

i. Treasury/Funds The group had funds available to them which were administered by (some of) their members, as they received a compensation for their services in the transport of tax-grain to Alexandria.
iii. Income The notophoroi, carriers active in the transport of tax-grain to Alexandria, received payments for transport-expenses (ll. 10-11: φόρετρον, phoretron) related to their services. In the present case, they acknowledged receipt of an advance loan of twenty artabae of grain (ca 780 litres = ca 605 kg) for that payment from the crops of the 29th year of Ptolemy VI Philometor (153/2 BC; ll. 8-12: ἀπὸ | τῶν γενημ̣άτων | τοῦ κθ (ἔτους) ὑπὲρ φο̣|ρέτρου ἐν προχρήσει | πυρῶν ἀρτάβας εἴκοσ̣ι̣, apo | ton genematon | tou 29 (etous) hyper pho|retrou en prochresei | pyron artabas eikosi), which they declared to return (or deduct from the phoretron) once the phoretron is paid to them. It is uncertain whether the group had other sources of income.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Note Given the type of professional activity (carriers or transporters) in which the members of the group seem to have been involved it is likely that they were men only.
iii. Age Adults
Note It seems likely that the notophoroi, for the character of their employment, were adults.
iv. Status The members shared the common occupation of being notophoroi, carriers employed in the transport of tax-grain to Alexandria, controlled by the state.
vi. Proper names and physical features Πετεαρμώτης Ὥρου | ὁ ἡγούμενος τοῖς ἐν τῆι | Καινῇ νωτοφόροις καὶ οἱ | ἄλλοι πρυσβύτεροι

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Possible
Note Given the fact that the group had a collective identity, also linked to a geographical area, a well-organised structure with a leader and a governing body, funds, and a durable intent, it is possible that the group formed a private association (cf. also P.Erasm. II p. 12). However, it is not impossible that they in fact operated as a simple business company of carriers involved in the transport of tax-grain.